Sailor Moon Eternal Act One
by Evilness321
Summary: Life is a total bore for Christina Bartell. She hates school, and loves getting lost in her music. She has a cat called Bootsie, who she's had all her life. Little does she know that "Bootsie" Harbors a secret about Christina that will change her life...
1. Prologue

**Sailor Moon Eternal- First Act **

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This first part is from the point of view of the main character, who is only fourteen. Her spelling is not perfect, there will be errors. Those are intentional. I hope you guys know by now that my spelling is much better than this! I just wanted to bring this home more what the main character is really like. **

**Prologue- **

_My name is Christina Bartell, and I'm fourteen years old. This is my first time making a journal entry like this, so forgive me for being a little in depth here. I promise it won't happen too often! (the in depth part that is, not the journal entry part. I plan on writing in here lots!) _

_I live with my Aunt Robin and Uncle Dan, my parents were killed in a car wreck while on a business trip in Japan when I was six years old, so I've been with my Mom's brother and his wife ever since. We're in a small town in Okanogan (I think that's how it's spelled, my spelling sucks!) in Washington State, and on a farm. _

_My best friend is a cat, since I hate my classmates here. she's a beautifull Calico with a patch of furr on her forehead that reminds me of a crescent moon shape thingy. But I call her Bootsie because there are white patches on her feet that look like little white booties. _

_I wish I lived in a big city, though. There's hardly anything to do around here. I swear, if it weren't for the horses, or archery, I'd go mad! My only marketable skills at school are the bow and arrow, and music. I love music too. I'm learning to play the violin on weekends, Aunt Robin knows this incredible violinist who agreed to give me private lessons! _

_Oh, did I mention I love art? Particullarly the Japanese style. Since I'm home sick a lot, I have plenty of time to 'hone my craft' as Uncle Dan puts it. _

_I'm starting middle school on Monday. It's a little scary, i hear the bullies are bad in this school, as if I didn't have enough to deal with in Elementary! Every time someone new moves to this middle-of-nowhere town, the popular kids nab them up before I have a chance to say hi. And when I DO say hi, they look at me like I'm the plague, or some kind of weird mutant from X-Men. What did I ever do to them? Apart from utter a friendly greating? _

_I guess it could be because of what I like to watch on t.v. and what I like to read. It's not exactly the most popular subject here. I wonder how kids in other towns like these things? _

_I love watching Sailor Moon for one. Though Sailor Moon is hardly my favorite Senshi, I ADORE Sailors Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. Most people think it's just a dumb show for six year olds... I digress... Can you call Jedeit getting crushed by three- count them- THREE airplanes a show for kids? Then there's ChibiUsa... The brave little girl tried pulling out one of Rubeus' Dark Crystal thingies and wound up getting fried in the process! One of her less annoying moments, honestly. _

_I guess people just hate things they don't understand. I love Japanese shows, though. To me, Sailor Moon in its entirety is amazing. I wish they showed more of Sailor V instead of in flashbacks. And those transformations are so cool, I got chills the first time I saw it! _

_**Moon Crystal Power- MAKE UP! In the name of Love and Justice, pretty soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon will punish YOU! **_

_Now if only that would work in real life... I'd kick those idiots at school to hell and back just like the Sailor Senshi! _

_I wish I could go outside right now instead of being stuck in my room. But it's all rainy and icky right now. I can hear the thunder starting up too, just like the news broadcast promised. My Aunt bought me this journal as a 'congrats for getting in to middle school' type thing, so I figured why not use it? It's not like I have anyone to play with. _

_Bootsie is just curled up on my bed, snoring away. Yeah, Bootsie snores. It reminds me of a mini semi-truck downshifting on the free way. But I like it. It reminds me I'm not alone in here after all. _

_Another show I love is W.I.T.C.H. _

_**Guardians Unite! **_

_Yeah... if only... _

_My dreams are getting ahead of me, I'm only forteen and barely getting the hang of playing the violin. _

_I can't sew, or crochet, those are big in school right now. I'm not good at sports either unless you count horses and archery. I do like to draw, art is one class I get an "A" in no problem! _

_I'm learning how to cook too. My Aunt is incredable at cooking, and since my Uncle is a fisheman for a living, we have a lot of seafood, which I don't mind! I probably eat healthier than half the kids in my class. _

_I'm wondering what middle school will be like. I hope I learn to spell better. And I hope the bullies aren't as bad as they're saying. I'm sure it's just to try and scare me, what Melanie is saying. Melanie is a girl in my class who is always teasing me cause I'm not that great, and always lag behind in sports. I don't jump very well or anything. My Uncle is thinking about taking my bowling, or to the local martial arts club. That would be kinda cool! I'd be able to thrash any baddie trying to hurt me then. _

_Right. Like in my dreams. _

_I'm sure it's exiting and all, Middle School... But I'm not really all that psyched for it. I doubt thing's'll change much for me, the rumors will go around that I'm just a weird oddball like before, who always gets sick, and doesn't like going to the public pool in summer. That'll be the end of any hopes of being able to socialize. _

_I guess I'm not bad in soccer or tennis, but there's never anyone to play with on the court, since everyone mysteriously vanishes the moment I get over there when I see them playing after school. It's the same thing over and over, I'm usually left to wander. At least Bootsie is usually right there. She's the best friend anyone could ask for! _

_Now if only she could talk. That would be soooo awesome! We'd be able to stay up late chatting, and exchanging stories about random things like real friends do. Who knows, maybe she'd be able to help me with my math! _

_Oh well... A silent best friend that gives unconditional love is better than no best friend at all, right? _

_I wish I could fast forward to high school graduation and get in to my dream of being a famous violinist. Maybe someday I can be like Michiru Kaioh! I'm just barely starting out... But my instructor says I show promise. Or something. Not many kids have an interest in the violin, I guess. I just love it so much, though. Listening to Michiru-san's works on tape help me relax and escape from what goes down every day at school. _

_I hope someday I can be famous, or well known at least. That'd show the jerks at school. I wonder what it's like to have crowds of people following you with praise and begging for autographs rather than jeers and hate for no reason. _

_There's rumors of some weird new technology that will make cassete tapes obsolete here in a few years. It sounds interesting, CDs, or Compact Discs... but I wonder how they'll get music on a piece of plastic shaped like a disc? How will it be played out? Are the CD players gonna be bulky and humongo like Computers used to be? I mean, Computers still are monsters, but at least they're more aforddable than they used to be. I'm gonna miss Cassette tapes though. I wonder what's going to be after CDs! Technologi is so fun and fast moving nowdays. _

_I'd better go... Sailor Moon's about to start, my Aunt's calling me from downstairs already! I can't believe how fast time went by... _

_Wish me luck in middle school diary! _

_Christina _


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One: **

**The Unstoppable Legend is Born! **

She was curled up in the fetal position in her bed, trying to sleep in as long as she could. Everything about her was purple, from the walls to her blankets, and even her clock. She had her blankets pulled up around her ears even though she went to bed on time the night before. But she just loved her sleep that much.

_I wish I could just lie in here all morning on a cold, fall morning like this. My Aunt would open the door and say- _

"C'mon, MOVE IT! LET'S GO! This is the third time I've had to call you!"

Aunt Robin's voice made Christina cringe this early in the morning. But she finally got up. She didn't want to leave the warmth and comfort of her bed that morning after it had been raining all weekend. Waiting for the bus was going to be murder.

Her shoulder length dark chocolate brown hair stuck up at odd ends that morning, and a sleeve from her violet night gown had slipped off her shoulder a bit as she looked at the clock. Her Aunt always liked to get her up early like this because she was such a slow riser. She picked out a new outfit that she'd gotten on their trip to Spokane the previous weekend, when they did their back-to-school shopping. She also spent her allowance on that trip as well. She'd been enjoying what she bought for a week before school was going to start.

The outfit she picked out was a layered black and purple t-shirt with a v-neck line, black jeans, black and purple tennis-shoes, and a belt around her waist. She put her hair back in a matching purple hair tie.

Grumbling as she made her way downstairs, she made sure not to trip over her cat who liked to be under foot wherever she went.

"Good, you're finally up!" Aunt Robin smiled brightly now that her niece was up and about, even if she wasn't the most lively of people in the morning.

"Oog..." Christina grumbled at her Aunt as a plate of breakfast food was put in front of her at the dining table.

"Eat up quickly before it gets cold!" Robin said. Unlike her niece, Robin had shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes.

"Where's Uncle Dan?" Asked Christina once she was a little more awake from the breakfast.

"Well, his fishing season started today, so he's going to be gone for the week. He left about two ish in the morning today. He said that he wishes you luck this week, though." Smiled Robin.

"Have a good day at school, honey!" Robin waved at her niece from the door as Christina walked down the path. Before Christina knew it, she was standing by the light post in front of the drive that led to her families' farm, backpack slung around her shoulders. She had to put on a purple jacket as well due to the wind that morning, and she leaned against the pole, unaware that her cat was watching from her bedroom window with an odd look on its face.

A half an hour of solid boredom later, the bus arrived, and Christina found a spot alone at the back where she sat in the corner against the window in the cramped yellow school bus as she imagined herself incinerating the school building. Unfortunately when the bus pulled up in town, the school building was still there. This did not improve her mood that morning.

She was nearly late for her first class. Not from getting to school late, but finding out where everything was. Even though they'd been given the tour of Okanogan Junior Senior High School, that had been three months before.

Her first class would prove to be her favorite- Astronomy, which included the history and the Myths and Legends behind the planets and their moons.

"Um, excuse me, is this Astronomy?" She asked a blond boy who looked three years older than she was.

"Yeah. You one of the new kids?" He asked, and she nodded. "Name's Eric Hendrikson. I work at that arcade down the street part time." He held out a hand to shake hers.

"You're that nice guy who's always there when I am!" Christina said, then her face went red when she realized she'd been thinking out loud again.

"Oh, Eric, I forgot to warn you-" A boy in the line waiting for the class on the other end of the hall said suddenly. "She's the weird one I was told about. I wouldn't start talking to her or you'll catch some of that weird."

"I'll talk to whomever the heck I want, David." Snapped Eric. "I happen to like hanging around with her. At least she's not rude."

David shook his head, the look on his face making it quite plain what he thought about the whole thing- like Eric was getting himself into trouble on the popularity chain by hanging out with Christina.

"So, Christi, there's a new video game at the arcade. Is your Aunt going to be late picking you up again? Cause I could show it to you after school." Eric said.

"As a matter of fact, she did stash some arcade money in my back pack... So I'm taking that as a hint that she's going to be late." Christina grinned broadly as the door to their classroom opened up.

* * *

><p>Rubiella had been to the North Pole, searching for any sign of her past. Something that would tell her who she really was. Her deep red hair, middle of the back length, and naturally looking like she had a perm, was kept out of her face by a thick canary yellow piece of velvet cloth that wrapped around her forehead. She wore a canary yellow and silver winter outfit that kept the cold out, but she'd be easily spotted by her team mates if something happened.<p>

Her brilliant green eyes were squinting through her protective goggles, and the small parts of her skin felt like they were frozen solid. She'd found a part on the North Pole called "Point D" by some people. Where a lot of strange things had been happening the last several years. At one point in time, strange black waves of energy could be seen coming from here, then, later on a powerful earth quake shook the whole North Pole region. She wanted to find out what was going on, and it was ironic that only Rubiella was nimble enough to traverse these regions.

It turned out there was a cave after she'd slid down a partially collapsed tunnel. The cave went on, and on. To a point where her satellite transmitters stopped working, and her communications devices went berserk. It was frigid cold even down here as she landed after jumping from an ice ledge to a rocky cave floor. She wasn't surprised how smooth it was, though.

What she came across moments later, however, surprised her beyond words. Her pale skin went even paler as she looked at the ruins of an old civilization that had clearly been hidden below the earth's surface for centuries.

A voice started speaking to her, and it sounded oddly familiar.

"_You come here seeking the truth of who you are..._"

"Who are you?" Rubiella demanded.

"_I am the one whom you have been seeking all these years..._" A figure in the form of a silhouette appeared before her, bathing everything in a deep, evil feeling shadow that sent chills down Rubiella's spine. It was the shadow of a woman with incredibly long hair. The only other thing that Rubiella could tell about this figure was that she probably normally had a staff, or scepter in her hands.

"What is your name?" Rubiella demanded.

"_My name is Queen Beryl... I am the true ruler of this planet you call home. None of what you know or believe is true. The memories that have been implanted in your brain are false. Only I can unlock your true potential... Because you are my daughter, my one true heir who can unlock my legacy and make these people suffer for what they have done to me." _The woman answered slowly.

Rubiella then saw Queen Beryl pointing at something on the floor.

"_Only my heir can use that staff. I no longer have the power to wield it." _Beryl told her.

"How do I know I can trust you if you are claiming to be who you claim to be?" Asked Rubiella.

"_Pick up the staff... Then you'll know what I say to be true!" _Said Beryl with a hint of impatience this time.

"Ok, ok...sheesh..." Rubiella shook her head, before walking over. "I still don't see what the big deal is."

She bent down, and the moment she touched the fallen staff of Queen Beryl, a reaction started. The staff was glowing, and Rubiella could hear the Queen laughing manically, the laughter echoing eerily around her in the ice chamber. She let out a yell, but could not let go of the staff as the light blinded her before she blacked out...

* * *

><p>Christina sat in math class, yawning. It was still two hours before lunch, but her stomach was already grumbling. She hadn't eaten anything since six that morning.<p>

"Since Miss Bartell seems to be enjoying the lesson, why don't we have her demonstrate the next problem?" Asked their teacher upon spotting her yawning, and she gave a mutinous glare before slouching up to the black board beside the Math Teacher.

It was a division problem, her least favorite. It took her twice as long to figure it out. During which there was a lot of snickering and giggling from her classmates as she tried to work it.

"You don't know the answer? Then sit down." Said the teacher with a sigh.

* * *

><p>When Rubiella came around, it was with a new sense of understanding and purpose to her life. She now wore a floor length, flowing gown. The source of her dreams and nightmares for the last was explained. Sure, she could go after the Silver Imperium Crystal. But that's been attempted already by her mother, and her mother's successors. There was another crystal she had remembered while she had blacked out, something that was just as powerful... if not MORE powerful than the Imperium Crystal.<p>

Her first task was to find the place the crystal was hidden, then the trick was figuring out who possessed it. And she had to gain some subordinates as well. That part was easy.

There was a flash of light from the scepter she held in her right hands, and she reappeared above the wind blown, ice tundra surface of Point D. The cold did not reach her any longer, even in her new outfit, as she walked towards the camp her team had made.

One of the men looked up when another said that someone was approaching.

"Rubiella! There you are! We were just getting ready to go down after you!" He said. "Why the hell are you dressed like some masquerade ball goer?"

Rubiella just smiled in response before raising her scepter.

"You are now my servants, my slaves... And will do as I command..." Her voice was deeper than it had been before as the four workers became engulfed by varying colors of light and shadow. "Queen Metalia is destroyed... but there is still another from beyond who will aid in our conquering of this world and the galaxy. Once we have the location of the Crystal... then we can proceed in finding and obtaining it." She explained as the four former workers reappeared as completely different beings.

The first had shoulder length lilac hair and deep violet eyes, and was the only woman in this group apart from Rubielle. Her name was Morgani. The other three men were quite different as well. The man to the woman's immediate right had dark blue hair with small streaks of green, with deep but glowing green eyes and pale skin. He was called Lazuli. The man on his left had straight black hair, brilliant neon deep blue eyes with a dog-like look to his eyes and face. He was named Wolfani. And the man on Morgani's other side was taller than the rest, and thinner too. His hair was short and purest of white, and his eyes were multicolored- the left being green, the right being blue- and he was known as Analci.

"Please, madam, what IS this Crystal we're searching for?" Asked Morgani in a high voice when she bowed to Rubielle.

"For now, Morgani, let's just refer to it as the Mystical Jovian Crystal. Once you locate the area that it's been placed in, then we can proceed with the rest of my plan."

The four figures bowed to their Mistress.

* * *

><p>Christina was glad it was finally lunch time, and that she'd gotten all of her least favorite classes out of the way as she stood in line at the cafeteria in the center of the school. After she got her lunch, she found a table by herself in a far corner where she sat, and from her pocket pulled out a Sailor V manga to read while she ate her school provided lunch, swinging her feet as she ate and read the comic book. She ignored the eyes that she felt on her for pulling out such an unpopular story in the high school cafeteria.<p>

_I wish I could be like Sailor V..._ She thought as she read the book. _It would certainly be more exiting than this life. _

"Hey, little weirdo, whatcha reading?" Asked one of the older boys who'd been sitting nearby watching her.

"I didn't think middle schoolers were allowed to like something as lame as Sailor V." One of his friends leaned forward.

"Hey! Give that back!" Christina said as the boy in charge grabbed the book right from her as she started to turn the page.

"The pictures aren't even in COLOR. What, are you from another planet or something?" The boy asked, flipping through the pages.

"Is there a problem?" One of the teachers in charge of keeping the peace during lunch came forward.

"Jack stole my book from me!" Christina said before the boys could say anything.

"I was just looking." Jack frowned, tossing the book back to her. She caught it before it landed in her lunch tray.

"You boys stay away from her. I won't have any trouble in this school, understand?" The teacher said. In response, the boys blew raspberries at her before sitting back down at their table. "Sorry about them. You're Miss Bartell, right?" The teacher sat down. "Just call me Mrs. Spittle. I'm teaching your physical education class after lunch. I saw your name on the register this morning."

"Thanks for helping, Mrs. Spittle." Christina said, looking embarrassed at herself.

"Don't mention it. Those three are notorious for picking random fights when things get too quiet around here. I'm not supposed to pick favorites, but I'm sure I'm not the only one to see the backs of them at graduation next year."

Christina couldn't help as she laughed.

"There we go, that's the smile I'm looking for. Now, if you need any help with anything, let me know. Ok?" Mrs. Spittle smiled before she left Christina to her book again.

"Thanks Mrs. Spittle!" Christina waved at the teacher as the teacher went back to her spot at the teacher's table.

She had to hurry, she'd felt the disturbance earlier that morning, and he knew time was running out. The cat called Bootsie wished Dan and Robin lived closer to town, but beggars couldn't be choosy. And she certainly had no choice in the time for her Princess' revival. No doubt they would strike soon. The enemy was after the same thing she was.

The calico hurried down the street, making sure not to be seen by any cars as a stray.

Finally the final bell had rung for the day, and Christina was headed down the street from the school to the video arcade where she was to wait for her aunt when she saw it. A flash of light in the sky caught her eyes, and when she looked up at it, she saw a meteor crash in to the hills just outside of town near her home. When it crashed in to the ground, however, it shook the earth for miles around, nearly causing her to topple over.

_That was weird..._ She thought before continuing to the arcade.

"Hey, Christi! Did you feel that quake just now?" Asked Eric when she came through the door.

"It was a meteor, it struck just outside of town." She explained as she dug around in her back pack for the change her aunt had left her. "Ah!" She said when she found the stash.

"Man that's bizarre... we never get things like THAT happening here." Eric scratched the back of his head as he looked out the arcade window.

"HEY ERIC! Quit flirting and get back to work!" A much older man shouted from behind the kitchen windows at the other end of the room.

"Right! Sorry!" Eric gave a wave, before running back in to the kitchens where Christina could hear him being told off about 'lack of attention spans'.

Christina looked around at the video games, and she saw a new one that caught her attention right away.

_The new Sailor Moon game! I get to choose who I wanna be too! Sweet! _She put her backpack on the floor next to her stool, then put a quarter in the machine. She noticed that it gave out prizes as well if you got at a high enough skill level.

The calico cat was hidden behind the machine, an odd look in her eyes as her owner started to get engulfed in the game.

After a few moments, Christina chose Sailor Venus and started to play. It wasn't until half an hour later when Eric was on his break that he came out from the kitchens again and saw that she had gotten farther along the game than anyone else had so far.

"Wow, I didn't realize you were such a gamer!" He said sounding impressed.

"Don't be so surprised, Eric! I bought the home version of this game last week in Spokane!" Christina replied before going back to biting her tongue as she focussed on the game until... "NO!" She screamed as she lost at the twentieth level.

"Wow... you had almost two hundred thousand points!" Eric said, pointing at the screen.

The cat was listening to every word with perked up ears. Then her amber eyes flickered.

"Hey, a prize came out!" Christina heard the clunk from the slot where change usually came out. When she pulled out a beautiful pen with a star cap. The pen was purple, trimmed with yellow while the cap was shaped like a golden star, with a violet peace sign in the center. Around the points of the star were little pearls, each a different color- red, yellow, spring green, ultramarine blue, and silver. "Neat... it's so pretty!"

"I didn't realize that game had prizes..." Blinked Eric, looking at the pen in a confused sort of way.

"Apparently. Maybe it's if you get to a certain level?" She shrugged as she put it in her pocket.

"Here you are!" Her aunt's voice came from the door. She didn't sound angry, fortunately, but she made Christina jump and fall off her stool. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But there's something I want you to look at." Smiled Robin as Christina sat up again.

"Just... Please don't do that again, ok?" Christina sighed as she grabbed her backpack.

"Thanks for waiting so patiently, sweetie." Robin was fighting hard not to laugh as her niece waved goodbye to the boy she'd been talking to. "He seems nice." she said as they went down to the red mini van that Robin drove, and was parked in front of the towering red brick arcade building.

"Yeah, he is." Christina nodded as she got in to the passenger seat of the van, completely missing the fact that her aunt had just been trying to tease her.

"Well, at least you found a fun place to hang out while waiting for me. And now it's time to go look at what I wanted your opinion on." Robin sighed at how dense her niece could be.

* * *

><p>"So... the mistress wants us to find the Mystical Jovian Crystal... And its in this God Forsaken town?" Lazuli frowned as he leaned against the wall of their new mansion that had sprouted up after they arrived.<p>

"Yeah... But how do we find it? There's nearly five hundred people here..." Sighed Morgani, running her hand through her hair.

"Well, we start by looking, for one..." Wolfani snickered.

"Smart ass." Grumbled Morgani.

Analci couldn't help it as he snorted in to his glass of wine.

"Well, there's this jewelry store on Main Street that could be a good start..." Wolfani said, pulling out a photo he'd taken upon their arrival earlier.

"Right, the ONLY jewelry store." Grumbled Lazuli as he looked over his friends' shoulders.

"Looks like a job for you Morgani." Sneered Wolfani.

"HEY! Why do I have to be the first one to get their feet wet?" She asked, nearly spitting out some of the smoothie she'd been drinking.

"Well, for one, you like fancy jewelry, Morgani... and another, isn't it always polite to let the ladies go first?" Smiled Lazuli.

Morgani frowned but sighed, finished the last of her smoothie, and stood up to go check out the jewelry store.

"Smooth move, bro." Said Wolfani once Morgani was gone.

* * *

><p>In the Okanogan Jewelry Store, the clerk was busy cleaning the fragile glass cases which contained not only jewelry, but hand blown glass figurines. The store glimmered in the windows from all the fine merchandise. There was the jingle at the door as it opened, and she turned. But instead of it being Robin and her niece, it was a different costumer. There were already a group of girls in the store as it was, so it was a little bit crowded.<p>

"Hello, and welcome! Can I help you find something?" The clerk blinked at the woman's lavender colored hair pulled back in a pony tail, and wearing shades.

"Yes, I'm here looking for something specific. I heard that this might be the one place for it in this town." She said kindly.

"Well you've come to the right spot! I've got the finest wares in the area." The clerk said cheerfully.

"So I see." Morgani was looking around. "Would you mind if I browse a bit?"

"Not at all. Not at all. Feel free to ask if you have any questions!" The clerk replied.

Morgani looked around. She saw the group of kids gathered around something. None of these jewels were what she was looking for, and she was getting impatient and frustrated.

Christina was now leaning against the outside wall of the jewelry store while her aunt went in to double check on something before bringing her in. The moment her aunt went in the store, something strange happened.

The door clicked in to a locked position even though no one was near it.

"Hey!" She tried shouting in to the door, but the shutters were suddenly all pulled down when Morgana saw someone trying to get in.

"Christina!" A female voice with a new york accent said somewhere at her ankles.

"Huh?" She found her cat looking up at her with a harried expression on her face.

"Bootsie? How'd you get here?" She asked.

"No time to explain... and for future reference, my real name is Rinoa!" Snapped the cat at the ridiculous name she'd been initially given.

"What are you doing here?" Blinked Christina, at a total loss.

"Listen, you still have that pen you won from the game?" Rinoa looked impatient already.

"Yeah, of course." Nodded Christina, pulling out the pretty thing from her pocket.

"Good. That's no ordinary pen. Hold it out and shout "Callisto Moon Power- Make Up!". It will help you save everyone in that building!" Rinoa's New York accent was heavy when she got anxious.

"How will imitating a comic book help me save them?" She asked. "Shouldn't I just call the police?"

"JUST DO IT!" Snapped Rinoa.

"Ok, ok... Sheesh..." Christina held up the pen, feeling rather stupid as she did so. "Callisto Moon Power, Make Up!"

There was a brilliant flash of violet light that generated from the pen right after she called out the phrase.

When she reemerged from the light, her shoulder length brown hair had grown waist length, and it was held back in a flower like poppy-red bow. Her t-shirt had changed completely, with a purple v-neck sailor vest, a pink sailor bow in the front, and a broach that held it all together. The broach was heart shaped, with a purple amethyst tear drop hanging from it. The broach was lined with canary yellow, and had a pink peace symbol in the center. The t-shirt itself was white, while the sleeves were lined with yellow trimmed in gold. She wore the Sailor gloves that were elbow length, and lined with purple, while at the wrist were the purple triangles. Her skirt was a mini skirt with a canary yellow upside down triangle in the front, lined with a thin golden trim while the rest of her skirt was purple, and the bottom was trimmed with a trio of pink, blue and red lines, the blue line being in the center and the smaller of the three. Around her neck was a purple collar, with the peace symbol in the front. Her shoes were high heeled, and violet with a single strap around the ankle. At her ears hung two diamond shaped inch wide earrings. Then there was the mask that she felt at her face, which was purple and hid her face from onlookers, and the tiara on her forehead with a peace symbol shaped jewel in the center.

"Wow! This is so cool!" Christina looked at her reflection in the mirror. She'd never seen a better disguise, even on Halloween. She saw in the reflection that there was a back bow that was pink, just like the front.

"It's not just a pretty little costume, Christina. You are a Sailor Senshi, and it is your destiny to fight the beings that are currently attacking your aunt and the people in that store!" Rinoa said hurriedly. "Now, throw your tiara at the door and say "Star Tiara Go!" "

* * *

><p>"It's not in this part of the store... so maybe you can tell me..." Morgani frowned as her true form was taking shape. Her lavender colored hair fell out of its pony tail, and her jacket vanished to reveal a single piece blue knee length dress with a strange, round broach in the center of the neck line.<p>

She turned to the Store Clerk, who was shaking on the floor.

"What are you t-talking about?"

"The Mystical Jovian Crystal... This is the only jewelry store in this town... now... you should know something about it, dear." Morgani reached for her broach and unhooked it from the dress.

"I've never heard of anything like that before." The clerk said in a tremulous voice.

"We'll see if you're telling the truth or not..." Morgani raised her broach, which began glowing a brilliant shade of blue that all the stones and figurines in the store reacted to. A high pitched sound caused the people in the store to hold their hands over their ears as they screamed in protest.

There was a sudden loud crash at the door, and Morgani turned on the spot to see what had dared intrude on her search.

"Let them go!" The voice of a young girl declared as the door had been forced open. She held what appeared to be a glowing, yellow gold star in her hands like it was a frisbee.

"Who the hell are you?" Demanded Morgana.

"Erm...I'm...a...um..." The girl stammered as her brain froze.

Rinoa, who'd been standing off to the side, gave a soft meow of encouragement, since the people were still watching and very aware of what was going on.

That little meow gave her the courage she needed for her first speech. She knew generally what to say, from all that she'd read in the books and saw on the video game.

"I'm Sailor Callisto, champion of justice! In the name of the moon Callisto, I will punish you!" She said at once.

"Sailor Callisto, huh? Well, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine... Come Forward, Puppet Jiyuka!" The broach Morgani held was glowing again as a figure started emerging from it. First the head, then the torso, and finally the whole body.

"Puppet?" Blinked Sailor Callisto as a chill went down her spine.

"Don't back away, stay resolute!" Rinoa advised, now standing next to her.

"An upstart little brat who thinks she's a heroine and guided by a cat? Oh this is rich!" Laughed Morgani as the group of people sat huddled.

The three kids who were still trapped in the shop were staring with wide eyes.

"Sailor Senshi are real?" The center girl asked.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Her friends replied, both just as shocked. "I thought they were just a stupid comic book tale."

Sailor Callisto felt a twinge of annoyance as their words reached her ears.

"Ignore them!" Rinoa hissed as the Puppet Jiyuka took a more solid form. The limbs, even the head, reminded Callisto of a mannequin. Jiyuka was deathly pale, almost like a ghost as the puppet prepared to attack.

"Time for the first act of my puppet show!" Jiyuka said as Morgani turned back to the store clerk with her broach. Her fingers turned in to knives as the puppet crossed her arms over her chest, then directed her hands at Sailor Callisto, who braced herself.

"Careful!" Rinoa said.

Then at least ten knives with thin, clear wires were attached. Callisto had to dodge, something she was not good at, which wound up with her on the floor in an awkward position as the knives dove in to the glass cases all around her. She saw the threads gleaming as they moved and were withdrawn from the cases before shooting after her again.

"Oh, that was close..." She mumbled.

Soon she felt like she was a monkey being put through its paces in a circus as she dodged the threads.

"Sailor Callisto, what are you doing?" Asked Rinoa when she saw Callisto hiding behind a tall, metal case with jewelry gleaming in its display boxes.

"Trying not to get sliced apart! What does it look like?" Demanded Callisto of her cat, still marveling at the fact that it could talk.

"What's the matter little Senshi? Thinking about retiring from your occupation?" Asked Jiyuka.

"Not a chance!" Retorted Callisto in spite of herself.

In the meantime, Morgani had used her broach to test the stones and crystals in the store.

"Nothing... it's not in here. I'm so disappointed." She sighed. "Jiyuka, I'm done here. Feel free to kill them all. Starting with that annoying pest."

She tossed her broach in to the air in front of her, where it grew large enough to engulf her, but then opened up what looked like a portable black hole in to which Morgani vanished.

Seconds later, the threads had wrapped around Callisto, tying her to the display case she'd been hiding behind while trying to think of some kind of plan.

"No where to run and hide now, little brat!" Jiyuka sneered, appearing right in front of Callisto as she was struggling.

But she noticed something as she struggled, the threads were getting tighter every time she moved, and it felt like knives digging in to her flesh. She needed help, she couldn't do this on her own. She could barely repair a shirt for crying out loud!

As Jiyuka was raising her hands again to reveal the fingers that were made in to knives, something happened as though it were in answer to Callisto's silent plea for help. A flash of white that cut through the wire that was holding Callisto hostage, and then she saw what looked like a white rose in full bloom as it landed on the ground, like it had been there growing all on its own.

Callisto fell face forward on the floor, then looked at what had cut her free.

"A white rose?" She blinked, then stared in the direction it had come from.

The silhouette of a man stood in the doorway now. When he stepped forward what he looked like came in to view. He wore all white, and had a pure white cloak. Around his waist was a black belt with a sword strapped to it, and his face was hid behind a white mask and Arabian style desert hat. He reminded Callisto of an Arabian knight.

"Who the hell are you?" Asked Jiyuka.

"I am the Moon Shadow Knight... Sailor Callisto, do not be afraid, you CAN defeat this puppet!" The man announced, his blue eyes seeming to pierce right through her mask, and in to her own green eyes as they stared in shock at him, but she nodded, standing up again.

"Quickly, Callisto, now's your chance! Point the palms of your hands at Jiyuka, and then shout 'Callisto Phoenix Fire Strike!' " Rinoa said, grateful for the man's assistance.

"Right!" Callisto directed her hands at the puppet as she looked like she was getting ready to attack once more. "Callisto Phoenix Fire...STRIKE!" She shouted.

What looked like six spheres of fire appeared around Callisto, then shot towards Jiyuka, turning the knives that were shooting right at Callisto once more in to ashes, and engulfed Jiyuka in a pillar of fire. When the pillar had vanished, so had Jikyuka and the damage the puppet had caused to the store.

"Wow... I did that?" Blinked Callisto in astonishment.

"Not too shabby at all..." The Moon Shadow Knight said as he turned away. "But don't let your guard down, this is only the beginning, Sailor Callisto."

The last she saw of the Moon Shadow Knight was his white cloak and Arabian style hat as he vanished with a flash of brilliant white light.

"Callisto, we'd better get going too you know." Rinoa said as the group of people were standing up now that the danger had passed.

"Right." Nodded Callisto.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Christina sat in her room in a daze as she was trying to read, but unable to focus.<p>

"You did very well today, Christina, I was very proud of you." Rinoa jumped on to the girl's bed.

"Yeah?" Blinked Christina.

"And don't worry, I've modified everyone's memory, so you can call me Rinoa out in the open, and with your disguise, they'll never notice it was you." Rinoa sat down on the bed next to Christina.

"So... you really can talk..." Blinked Christina.

"Yes." Nodded Rinoa.

"And I really AM a Sailor Senshi, like in my comic books?"

"Yes."

"And none of what happened was just a dream from playing too many video games?"

"I'm afraid not."

"And you really do have that crazy New York accent?"

"HEY!"


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: **

**A Straight Shooter **

_Dear Diary, _

_I started middle school! The same bullies and crap are still there, but this year is proving to be more exiting. My cat can talk! To steal the phrase from the famous Brown kid, "Good Grief". What will they come up with next? Ten year old heroes? Wait... didn't they already do that in the seventies? Well... it turns out I'M a heroine... I still can't believe it. So much has happened, and my cat apparently has a name other than Bootsie. But I miss that name! It was so cute and fitted her! Her real name is Rinoa. But at least now I can talk with her and stuff. So cool being able to have full conversations with my cat... I bet you anything that there's not many people who can lay claim to that ability. Rinoa explained that in my past life I was Sailor Callisto, and my mother was the Goddess Hera, which means that my father is Zeus... Still hard to wrap my brain about THAT fact. THEN Rinoa went on to explain the rest of my family connections... my Uncles are apparently Hades, ruler of the Underworld, and Poseidon, the aquatic, or water God. She says my family will show themselves to me in time when I'm more ready. But I can't wait to meet my real parents since my Earth parents died in a car wreck in Japan all those years ago. Oh! I also have an older sister from Hera and Zeus! Rinoa says she's in Japan too, but her role is different from mine. She wouldn't go in to more detail, but she said eventually when my training is done and my skills are up to speed, we'll go to Japan. But Rinoa says I've got a lot of work ahead of me before she'll be confident enough to take me there. -sniff- I WANNA GO NOW! _

_... ... ... _

_Anyways. So much I don't understand, but I can't wait to get more work in as Sailor Callisto. Rinoa says I've got my own group of Sailor Senshi, and I'll find them or they'll find me when the time is right, then she'll explain more about our particular roles in this new world. But I can't tell anyone about who I am. I think that must be a universal rule for any super hero or heroine. I guess people must like the mystery. But at least I can confide in here! Besides, it's not like no one would ever believe me if I told them I was the Sailor Senshi who saved them in that shop the other day. I'm just that weird loner kid who likes to read comic books according to them. _

_There's the cutest boy who works at the Apple Valley Inn, the one just a few blocks from my school? And he's so nice! I love his blond hair, and his blue eyes are so perfect... He always comes out to see me when I go there too! Wish we lived in town, then we'd be able to hang out more. _

_Well, better go... I've still got stupid math homework left. I've been procrastinating again. Hope I can make it through another day of school again with my sanity intact... _

_Christina. _

* * *

><p>"And then, if you believe it, Sailor Moon's friend turned up just in the nick of time and saved us all!"<p>

"No way!"

"It's true! We all saw it! And that woman, Robin, Bartell's aunt? She was there too! The press was all over it!"

It was lunch time in the cafeteria, and the gossip that day was the attack on the jewelry store the previous day. The three kids involved who witnessed the whole thing were instant celebrities, as well as Christina's aunt. She kept to herself for the most part as per her usual routine. But she was unusually quiet as she listened to the gossip. Already her alter ego Sailor Callisto was building a reputation amongst her peers- not that they knew who Callisto was. But at least the reputation was that of a heroine in a small town.

"Finally something exiting is happening in this God-forsaken town!" Said one of the students.

"But wasn't it scary when that woman summoned the monster that was starting to destroy that shop and going to kill you just for being there?"

"It was kind of... But then Sailor Callisto and that one Arabian Knight dude turned up." The girl admitted.

* * *

><p>No one had seen her transform, all they knew is that Sailor Callisto showed up to defend the shop. Last night, Rinoa had explained to her that she'd been waiting to revive the Sailor Senshi that would gather in this area, because she had wanted Christina to live as normal of a life as possible. However, Christina wasn't at all flustered or bothered about being a Sailor Scout. She was excited, if nothing else, to know that she did have a purpose in life rather than being bullied and teased in gym class. No one would suspect someone like her of being a heroine, though. So even if she said she was Sailor Callisto, no doubt hey wouldn't believe her. No one would ever believe her capable of being involved of something so extraordinary. Not their favorite target in dodge ball at least.<p>

Today was archery day, though. She had to remind herself. At least it wasn't dodge ball, or baseball. At least Archery was a sport she excelled in.

While the boy Eric was a nice person, he still hung out with his friends during lunch. Once or twice she heard Eric asking why she couldn't join them, but each time he got 'no way.' She didn't mind, really, sitting on her own. It gave her a chance to catch up on her reading.

Then there was the matter of who the Moon Shadow Knight was. He hid his face so well all she knew is that he had brilliant blue eyes, and blond hair. A fat load of help that was. There were lots of guys in that town who fit that criteria. Maybe if she just looked around and listened and observed, she might figure out something.

"Miss Bartell?"

It was Mrs. Spittle.

"Yeah?" She looked up.

"We want you to join our archery club. We noticed your skills this last week. You've got some real natural talent!" She held up the clip board.

"Archery...Club?" Christina blinked. She'd never been able to join any sort of group or club before, mainly because her classmates had never let her.

"Yes. It involves competitions, and plenty of training, but it would allow you to see more of the state, and get more involved with your class. I think it'll be perfect for you." Smiled Mrs. Spittle.

_Maybe a little training like this might help me be a better Senshi..._ She looked at the clipboard being shoved under her nose by the rather hopeful teacher.

"Sure, I'll do it. It's after school, right?" She grabbed the pen on the clipboard, then signed her name.

"Yes, for an hour. Would you like me to call your aunt to let her know?" Asked Mrs. Spittle.

"Sure, it would be appreciated." Smiled Christina as the boys who had been picking on her yesterday were staring on with frowns on their faces. Once Mrs. Spittle had turned her back, Christina stuck her tongue out at them to show that yes, she knew they had been watching her. To which she received a few middle fingers.

The bell rang a short while later, and Christina put her things in her locker, and went down the hallway to Astronomy, making a point to pay more attention to the legends and myths that were behind the stars and their names than she had before. She caught the teacher off guard that day by her sudden interest in the subject when normally she'd pretend to pay attention while taking a nap in that class, just like in Math.

* * *

><p>"So... Now we have the brat Sailor Callisto to contend with." Grumbled the deep shadow of Wolfani.<p>

"You failed, Morgani... Miserably. The Jovian Crystal wasn't recovered, and a Sailor Senshi has been awakened." Sneered Analci.

Morgani frowned and raised her hand before sending an infuriated blast of black energy at the nearby crystal pulpit, sending crystal shards all over the place.

"That's enough!" Rubiella shouted, emerging from the shadows. "While I am glad to see that you are recognizing Margani's failure, we do not need to be discovered before we have the Jovian Sailor Crystal in our hands."

"Please, Madam, just what is the Jovian Sailor Crystal, and why is it so important?" Asked Wolfani with a polite, and respectful bow.

Rubiella paused. She didn't see what it would hurt to give a farther explanation of what it was she was after.

"The Jovian Sailor Crystal is a stone of immense power, even more powerful than the Imperium Silver Crystal. This Crystal has the power to control death, and the power to kill the entire population of a planet or galaxy. And once we have that in our hands, we will be able to rule over this universe, one galaxy at a time. Because of the Crystal's power and capabilities, it has long been guarded by the Goddess of Death, who is one of the daughters of Zeus and Hera, long known rulers of the largest planet in this solar system back in the days of the Silver Millennium." She replied finally. She could see now how the idea of power over Death captivated her servants. If they had the Crystal, they wouldn't have to worry about meeting the God of the Underworld himself, Hades. They wouldn't ever have to worry about aging, or dying from old age. "There is only one problem... when the Silver Millennium collapsed, the Jovian Sailor Crystal was sealed away, just as the Silver Imperium Crystal was when Queen Serenity sealed away Queen Metalia. That is why I need you... To find the Jovian Crystal, kill its keeper, and bring it to me." She didn't say that there was a being even more powerful than Metalia that she was seeking to revive.

"Is it possible that the person who looked after it before already knows about it, Madam?" Asked Analci.

"No, it is still too early for that to be revealed I'm thinking, or else we would have been attacked by now." Rubiella said after thinking for a moment. "Our sensors have detected the Crystal resides in a host somewhere in this town, we just have to find them and then the rest should be simple so long as that brat Sailor Callisto doesn't turn up."

"And if she does?" Asked Wolfani.

"Kill her." Replied Rubiella, her eyes narrowing. "We shouldn't have any problems getting the Jovian Crystal so long as its host is unaware of what they posses, and Sailor Callisto is out of our way."

* * *

><p><em>Kill? <em>Christina was dozing off at her desk. _Kill what?_

"CHRISTINA!" Shouted her math teacher, causing her to jump at her desk and yell.

"What?" Snapped Christina in her surprise as she snapped out of her daydream.

"Since you were paying attention so well, why don't you come up to the black board and solve this division problem.

Christina glared mutinously as some of her classmates were giggling and snickering. She nevertheless had no choice, and grabbed the piece of chalk that the teacher shoved in to her face. _Great... Triple division? Why'd she have to wake me?_

It was ten minutes to the end of class, so she just had to complete the problem. She stared at the blackboard for a few moments before sighing, and solving the division problem on the board, handing the chalk back to the teacher and slumped back to her chair.

"Very good, you're actually right this time." The teacher said after checking the answer. "Now, homework..." There was a general groan of displeasure from the students at the last word. "And just for that attitude, all but Miss. Bartell will get extra homework. Do section nine out of chapter five, and the extra credit assignment. To be handed in tomorrow."

"Why doesn't Christina get extra homework too?" Demanded a blond girl at the middle of class.

"Because, Janessa, as it turns out, she was actually paying attention, and she's already handed in the homework for this weekend. Something I've noticed only a few of you have done so far." The bell rang at the end of the 'talking-to' from the teacher. "Have a good evening!" She called to the students, since this math class was the final class for the day today.

Morgani appeared in the locker room of the gymnasium where all the sports equipment was kept. She'd sensed that this place was closer to the Jovian Crystal than the Jewelry Store had been. After taking a look at the school's schedule for after school sports clubs, she decided to use the archery equipment this time. She placed a hand on a bow, filling it with her black energy before she heard a door being unlocked. She vanished at once as the coach opened the door.

She reappeared high above the school, her head tilted as she waited. All that was needed was for one with the right qualities to touch it, then her puppet Archea would do the rest.

Christina felt rather awkward, but then this was her first day in the Archery Club, and not many people in her class liked to be around her.

"Ok, first we'll split off in to pairs." Mrs. Spittle was saying. "Ms. Bartell, why don't you go with Ms. Bellini?" She indicated the girl with ginger brown curly hair held up in a yellow pony tail, with amber eyes, and a red bow.

Christina nodded before walking over with her own black bow in hand.

"And now, let's get the arrows and head out to the field behind the school." Mrs. Spittle said once the rest of the group was in pairs- which meant there were ten pairs of boys and girls in the Archery Club.

"Hi, I'm Hillary." Smiled the amber eyed girl as they followed Mrs. Spittle out from the gym exit. "I've seen you around, but you're always gone so quick I can't get a chance to say anything."

"Nice to meet you." Christina blinked at the fact that someone was willing to talk with her.

"I've seen you reading the Sailor Moon manga. I thought I was the only one in the school that liked them! Who is your favorite Senshi?" Hillary asked once introductions were out of the way.

"I like Sailor Venus and Jupiter, honestly." Replied Christina, feeling awkward but delighted that they had something in common. "You?"

"Sailor Mars and Mercury. I love Mars' high heels and attitude, and how smart Mercury is." Replied Hillary without having to pause to think. "My big sister is a fan of Sailor Moon too, it would be great if we could all get together sometime."

"Ok, everyone!" Mrs. Spittle called attention to the various groups now that they were lined up in front of the targets propped against bails of hay with a tarp pinned up several feet away behind the targets. "We have an hour for practice, the winner with the most arrows in the middle target will win the chance to go to the state competition."

There was a general murmur of excitement at that news.

"If they continue like this over the next several meetings, then they'll be selected to represent the team in the competition." Continued Mrs. Spittle.

With that incentive, the pairs all selected their targets and the distances from said target.

There was little talking between the students as they began the trials. This club went on for an hour, and by the end of it, Christina and Hillary's pair were in the lead that day. It turned out that the two made a really good team when it came to archery.

"Hey, I'm going to the arcade after practice, do you wanna come?" Christina asked on a whim. She wasn't sure why she felt like she'd known Hillary long before this first meeting. Especially when she'd never even noticed her before today.

* * *

><p>Rinoa was nearby watching the Archery Club and their practice with narrowed amber eyes. She hid among the bushes, and was looking through a gap. She felt an aura around Hillary that told her she could be either from their enemy, or she was another Sailor Senshi. She was glad that Christina was finally making a friend though. She knew that Christina had had problems in making any friends since childhood. For now, Rinoa decided just to watch Hillary.<p>

* * *

><p>"Ok everybody, that was a great meeting! We'll meet here again on Wednesday after school." Said Mrs. Spittle, who was looking pleased that apart from some nasty verbal jibes at one another, this group of kids at least tolerated one another to enjoy the bow and arrows.<p>

She didn't hear one of the boys as they left when he spoke to his friends though. But Christina did.

"Thank goodness, I can get away from that freak job. She just brings a nasty aura to the place. I wish she'd move." He said as Christina and Hillary passed.

"That jerk!" Hillary started to turn around, but Christina grabbed her arm. Hillary was surprised at the strength behind the girl. "You aren't just going to let him talk trash about you like that, are you? He doesn't even know you and he's talking about you like that!"

"Getting angry and yelling at them won't change anything, Hillary. Besides... It doesn't really matter if I get angry at someone, because half the people I WERE to get angry at wouldn't notice, and the rest wouldn't even care." She sighed.

"But... It's not right, talking about someone like that. Christina, things won't get better unless you stand up for yourself or something." Hillary shook her ginger head.

"It's ok, really. I've learned to ignore it. Most kids in my class are like that to me. They keep it civil around the teachers and adults, but they whisper. Always when they think no one is paying attention." Christina scratched the back of her head. She never could find out why people hated her. Some people whispered that she had the aura of the Goddess of Death around her, whatever that meant. It was part of why she hated school, even though there wasn't anything to be done about that either. But it did cheer her up, to see her new friend getting angry on her behalf.

So the pair headed to the Apple Valley Inn arcade after gathering their school things.

"Hey, Christi!" Eric said when he looked to see who was entering the arcade. He had been put on the front end duty that day after getting out of school.

"Eric, hi!" She smiled.

"Who's this guy? A friend of yours?" Blinked Hillary.

"Yeah, we've known each other for a while. Hillary this is Eric, Eric, Hillary." Christina made the preliminary introductions.

"It's nice to see you coming in with a friend." Eric had been worried that she would never make any other friends to hang out with and would wind up all alone. Not that he ever voiced that concern.

"Come on, Hillary! I'll show you the new Sailor Moon game! It's wicked cool." Christina was pulling Hillary over to the console and putting in a couple of quarters.

Eric checked to make sure his father wasn't watching, and went over to where the two girls were.

* * *

><p>Rinoa had followed the two to the arcade, where she watched as Christina was showing Hillary how to play- with occasional pointers from Eric. Once Hillary reached a level above Christina's, Rinoa's eyes twinkled. And from the same slot that Christina's pen had come out, out popped a pen for Hillary.<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey look! This is gorgeous! You didn't tell me this game gave out prizes!" Hillary saw that the pen was decorated in her favorite colors, and that got her even more fond of the item.<p>

The pen itself was crimson red, with a golden yellow five point star cap at the top. Around the points were small, pea sized stones, also crimson. At the center was a strange symbol in a white circle the size of a quarter. The symbol was a crimson triangle with a small red dot in the center. The base of the pen was round and crimson lined in canary yellow. The cap was lined in canary yellow, and the pen gleamed merrily at her.

"I honestly had no idea that it did that." Eric was scratching the back of his head rather curiously. "Well, better get back to work. See you girls around!" He waved.

"He's rather cute, you thought about the fact that he could think of you as MORE than a friend?" Teased Hillary, nudging Christina.

"Us, a couple? No way! That would be too weird if you ask me... Besides, I kinda like someone else in that way." Christina's face was brilliant red, as she day dreamed for a brief moment about the Moon Shadow Knight. She'd only seen the mysterious man in arabian white robes once, but he still captivated her mind like one of her uncle's Roman Myths novels that he had in his library.

"Well, I'd better get going. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Christi!" Hillary grabbed her school bag when the watch on her left wrist beeped at her all of a sudden.

"Christina." Rinoa said once the coast was clear.

"Oh, hey!" Christina's mind came back to reality with a rather nasty crash that resounded in her brain like a giant base drum.

"Come here, I've got something to show you." Rinoa led the way from the game center to the back, and around a corner near the pin ball machines.

"You didn't tell me you liked pin ball." Christina was eyeing the games.

"That's not what I wanted to show you." Rinoa shook her head exasperatedly. Normally Christina wasn't that dense. "Look at the wall."

"Hey! That door's never been there before!" Christina's eyes went wide when she realized what she was looking at.

"Exactly. Come with me." Rinoa walked up to the door, and it slid open.

"Cool, just like in the movies." Christina was looking up and around as she followed her cat in to the room that she was being led to. The door hissed shut, then she saw it vanishing.

"This is the Control Room." Rinoa stepped down the small staircase as the lights flipped on, dazzling Christina's eyes for a moment. "Here is where we will make our plans, which include plans of attack, and will gather for meetings once the other Senshi in your team are located."

"Wow, this is incredible!"

That was a bit of an understatement, in Rinoa's opinion. The room was large and sprawling, with a stage at the opposite end, a round table in the center. The six chairs around the table were each two different colors- Purple and pink, two were spring green and ultramarine, another was crimson red, the one next to that was gold and silver, then there was a canary yellow and silver chair to round it all off. The floor itself was of marble. There were no windows, but there was a ceiling fan made of rich, deep cherry wood. There was a rectangular shaped table on the wall on the right, with the latest in computer technology sitting on it ready for use. On the left wall was a kitchenette, complete with a refrigerator, stove, oven, and sink with a food disposal unit. In the corner next to the stage was what looked like a flat screen on the wall with a karaoke machine hooked up to it. There was also a large buffet with clear glass windows that showed...

"Musical instruments?" Blinked Christina, walking over to look at all that had been carefully placed in it.

"Yes. I do agree with your aunt and uncle in the fact that music helps develop a proper lady in the long term. That is why there is the karaoke machine as well as a stage. You can continue to practice in private here, your musical talents." Nodded Rinoa as she jumped up on to the table in one swift movement.

"This place is awesome Rinoa." Christina looked around as she went over to her chair, which she noticed was at the 'center' of the group of chairs. She blinked.

"There is a reason for the placement of the seats. When you find all of the Senshi, you will be their leader." Rinoa read the expression on Christina's face.

"Me... The leader?" Christina stared at the news.

* * *

><p>Morgani frowned. Why hadn't the puppet been triggered? Perhaps it was waiting for a dramatic moment to make a big entrance. Just her luck. She'd get stuck with either a lazy, or show-off puppet. Either way, that will make it all the more enjoyable when it attacks. She'd just have to wait. But it wasn't like she had to worry. She had a good spot to watch everything from up here, after all.<p>

* * *

><p>It was something different, for Christina to be spending lunch time with someone other than a teacher for a change. For the first time, she had someone to gossip with about Sailor Moon related topics.<p>

"Oh! Did you hear?" Hillary said, wiping some food from her cheek. "Apparently that racer and violinist pair is touring the U.S! And this little town is one of their stops before Seattle!"

"You mean Haruka and Michiru?" Blinked Christina. "No way! I love Michiru's violin music! And they're coming here?"

"Yeah, that's what I heard on the news yesterday evening. Didn't you watch it?" Nodded Hillary.

"No... I had to do math homework." Grumbled Christina, her face brilliant red as she admitted that.

"Ah, well... Of all the evils in the world, math is one of the necessaries." Hillary said, fighting rather hard to keep herself from laughing at the sulking look on Christina's face.

"Why can't the bad guys that struck the shop the other day ever get rid of math class?" Christina grumbled in her gloom as Eric walked over to them.

"Hey girls." He blinked at Christina's apparent sulking. "What's up with you?"

She glared at him.

"Do you really have to ask?" She snarled.

"Erm..." He stared.

"She's bummed out over all the math homework she's got." Hillary was still trying hard not to laugh out loud. One of her ribs might have cracked from the effort.

"And I've got a meeting after school, and I've got an essay in Social Studies to write... I won't have any time for the Arcade tonight or tomorrow." Christina sniffed, poking the peas in her cafeteria lunch tray rather unenthusiastically with her plastic fork, or as the kids at school called the utensil, a spork.

"Well cheer up. I like you better smiling and happy." Eric scratched the back of his head as a crack of thunder rumbled outside, announcing the fact that gym class would be inside that day when lightning flashed, lighting up the suddenly dark sky. "That's weird. The news didn't say anything about thunderstorms in this area." He commented.

"Well, it's the time of year for them." Hillary shrugged.

* * *

><p>She was drenched. Christina had walked to the Apple Valley Inn in the rain which persisted through the afternoon and in to the after school hours. Rinoa told her she'd fixed it with her Aunt and Uncle not to pick her up until later with some use of her mysterious powers. And since Christina didn't bring an umbrella or a jacket, she left a water trail with her once she was inside. She saw that Eric wasn't working this afternoon, and went to the back room where the pin ball games were, then in to the Control Center.<p>

Rinoa was waiting for her there, having had to take refuge in the room once the clouds rolled in. Music was playing from the karaoke machine, which she was currently using as a simple stereo. Christina listened to the words as she stepped down the small stair case. It had a good beat to it, which was part of why she liked it so much.

"_Hey, look up now, _

_The blossoms from the tree are so delicate._

_The wind blowing through the tree,_

_Sending petals all around. _

_Don't you worry, _

_I'll hold you close. _

_The wind blows in the violent storm, _

_Dark clouds swirling all around._

_Don't worry about a thing, _

_God is watching over all of us. _

_The ray of light, from the chosen one._

_The wind and clouds cannot damage your persona,_

_Your will is so strong, you will persevere._

_The fire from within, brings out your pure light. _

_Hey look up now,_

_I can see your light. _

_Don't you worry now, _

_I am here for you. _

_Hey look up now,_

_The fire that shines so bright_

_In the end, it's all ok. _

_Catching one of the many petals in my hand, _

_I wonder at how very soft it is. _

_Can fate truly be this chaotic?_

_I let the petal go with the wind, _

_Wondering where it will fall, _

_When thunder crashes all around us, the storm persisting to drown us. _

_The drops of rain that start to fall, the forces of nature, _

_Envelop us all at once, nothing else matters. _

_That single ray of hope, captured by the wind. _

_I look forward now, _

_I've let go of it. _

_I can move on now, _

_We can embrace it._

_I can feel it now, _

_There's no stopping it. _

_The fire from within brings your pure light._"

During the guitar and instrumental bit, Christina had moved to the table and the purple chair she assumed was hers, before listening to the rest of the song.

"_The ray of light from the chosen one, _

_The forces of nature could not and will not ever break you, _

_Your will is so strong, you will persevere. _

_The single ray of hope, shared by us all. _

_I'll look forward now, _

_I've let go of it. _

_I can move on with you now,_

_Let's embrace this night._

_I can feel it now, _

_There's no stopping it. _

_The fire from within, shared by all_."

At the end of the tune, Christina looked at Rinoa.

"I didn't realize you actually liked the music I listen to." She said.

"Of course. It's not as bad as what I hear blaring from the stereos in the parking lot of the school." Rinoa's amber eyes were twinkling. "So, now to business."

Christina looked at her cat.

"That girl that you befriended today might be the next Sailor Senshi." The cat continued. "That's why I gave her that pen from the game. I sensed something strange from her, and with you as her friend now, we can keep an eye on her better."

"Another Senshi?" Christina was excited at not having to work alone the whole time at least now.

"Yes, but you mustn't say anything. Her time for awakening is soon, and we don't want to rush anything she might not be ready for." Nodded Rinoa. She was glad that Christina was so willing to take part in this change in her life. But then, she also understood why. Christina was teased and shunned by most in her class, and didn't have very many friends to begin with. So she was able to put her all in to being Sailor Callisto, proving that she was better than her classmates made her out to be. Even if nobody knew who she was, it had been a surprisingly welcome change in her life. Rinoa wondered how Hillary would take it, when her time came. Would she be just as willing, or would she reject it entirely? It was hard to tell from person to person.

The rest of the meeting was spent with Rinoa helping Christina with the math homework she still had to do, until it was time for her to be picked up by her Aunt. At least she didn't have to walk home in this weather. It was still raining buckets outside as she and Rinoa made the dash from the doors of the Apple Valley Inn to the van that Robin drove.

"Sorry I'm late today, hon." Robin said. "It's been busy."

"It's ok, I managed to get my math done today at least." Christina said as she hugged her Aunt after getting in the passenger's seat with Rinoa in her lap.

"You did your math? Without an argument?" Blinked her Aunt. "Now that I will have to see when we get back!"

Christina sulked in her seat after putting on the seatbelt at the fact that her Aunt didn't believe her, or at least was so surprised at that fact that she wanted proof once they got home. But then again, Robin didn't know that Christina's cat was making her do her homework before anything else now in order to keep up with everything going on.

Robin was so pleasantly surprised that Christina had actually done her math homework, that she gave her niece a special treat of chocolate fudge ice cream after dinner that day.

"See?" Rinoa said once they were in her room. "You do your homework like your supposed to, you won't have to worry about missing out on things." The cat stretched on the bed spread as a crack of lightning lit up the whole room with a flash of brilliant white light for roughly two and a half seconds.

"Wow, that was a big one." Christina said as she moved over to the window to watch the storm.

Rinoa looked at her.

"It doesn't surprise me that your so intrigued by thunderstorms. The planet Jupiter was riddled with them during Silver Millennium." She said. "You always loved it when storms surrounded the castle."

"Really?" Christina's eyes went wide at Rinoa's recollections. She never thought about the whole past life thing before now, and she pondered with great curiosity what it must have been like.

"You'll learn in time about your past. The more of your team that are awakened, the more of your past you'll remember." Rinoa reassured as she stretched her back end out as all cats do at one point or another, before scratching the back of her ears.

"I wish I could get a full aerobic work out just by stretching." Christina commented, and Rinoa chuckled lightly.

"You'll be able to stay in shape with all the enemies that will undoubtedly be turning up in the near future." Replied the cat.

* * *

><p>Over the next couple of days, Christina and Hillary became fast friends. Most people in the school couldn't understand why Hillary wanted to be friends with someone like Christina. But Hillary wondered why their classmates treated her the way they did for no apparent reason. Then again, it was an unspoken fact that a lot of kids when they were in school could be cruel to one another just out of sheer boredom, or because someone looked different, or weren't smart.<p>

However, as Christina's only academic struggles were in spelling and math, and she did just fine in the other classes, it wasn't a target very much when the kids started bullying her. She surprised her fellow classmates the day after she befriended Hillary by reciting the whole tale of Serenity and Endymion as though it were fact, when in the Roman/Greek Mythology class. It had been her project to study, after all. Each student had been given a fable or tale, that had been hers. She told how Serenity had fallen in love with the Earth Prince, Endymion long ago. But there had been a great war, and the two were targeted by an evil being. In the end, Endymion had been killed, and Serenity committed Suicide with a silver blade that became cursed until the day its true porpoise had been fulfilled.

Hillary's had been about the legends of the Goddess of Death, who ferried souls of dead people to the Underworld, where her Uncle Hades waited to pass judgement on the soul, deciding which part of the Underworld the soul would go to in the end. Hades had hand picked the Goddess from his brother's family as part of a truce between the family members, to keep a war from the Light and Dark happening again.

At the end of the day, they were worn out and exhausted. The rain had been hammering down on the little down and the surrounding valley for nearly two days straight, but at least today Christina had been smart enough to remember an umbrella as she walked the street alone- Hillary couldn't make it to the Arcade with her due to piano lessons after school- and was closing up the umbrella at the entrance when a flash of lightning lit up the ink black sky. She stood there mesmerized for a while, just watching the lightning as it cracked and boomed every few seconds. At least she had some place dry to wait at while she waited for her aunt to pick her up.

"You gonna come on in, or just stand there gawking at the light show?" Asked Eric, walking over when he saw the familiar silhouette lit up by the shadows from the lightning.

Christina's reaction to hearing his voice made him crack up with laughter. She jumped about a foot in the air when he came up from behind like that.

"Thanks a lot, Eric. You nearly gave me heart failure!" She grumbled at him before heading in, even though he was still chuckling at the incident.

"S-sorry, couldn't resist." He said finally when she sat down at her favorite game console.

She didn't have a planned meeting with Rinoa that afternoon, so she decided just to play some video games while she waited for her ride. Eric was only too happy to give occasional pointers.

* * *

><p>Robin pulled up to the Apple Valley Inn a half hour later, and saw her niece sitting at her favorite console, and raised an eyebrow when she also noticed a young man with blond, wavy hair leaning over, obviously helping her play the game. She decided to go in to the building, after grabbing her umbrella.<p>

"Ah, so this is why you like to come here so much?" Robin smiled, this time both Christina AND Eric jumped on the spot.

"Ack! No...! It's not what it looks like!" Christina waved her hands frantically after hitting the pause button.

"Relax, I don't mind." Smiled Robin. "And who might you be, young man?" She asked.

"Eric, Eric Hindrickson." Eric said, his face rather red at being caught flirting with Christina, by none other than what appeared to be her mother. "And you, you're her mom?" He asked in return.

Robin smiled, and to his surprise, shook her head.

"No, I'm her aunt. Myself and Dan have been raising her since her parents died in a plane crash in Japan during a business trip there years ago." Robin said sweetly. "So we took over raising her."

"Well, you've done a good job so far." Eric said without thinking.

Christina was glad that Eric had his back turned to her at the moment, for her face had gone a brilliant shade of magenta at his words.

"Well, Christi, finish up your game really quick hon, it's time to head home." Smiled Robin. "I'm going to grab a couple of drinks, and wait in the car."

Christina watched her aunt order a couple of caffeine free sodas before heading back out, somehow managing to balance the sodas in one hand while she had her purse and umbrella in the other.

Eric was glad that her aunt had liked him. But he had a question on his mind when he saw Christina was already back to playing the game.

"Why didn't you ever tell me your parents were deceased?" He asked, trying not to sound as though he were accusing her of something she'd done wrong.

"You never asked." She shrugged simply. She didn't see what was so unusual about her situation. She was used to it by now.

Eric watched as a short while later, Christina was waving goodbye. Her parents had died in a terrible plane wreck when she was still just a child... and yet all this time she'd managed to stay happy and smiling, not letting people pity her or act as though she ever cried about it or felt lonely. It made him feel angry about the fact that virtually none of their classmates ever gave her a second glance, when she was so strong and full of life in spite of the treatment she received from most of her peers, and her tragic past.

He was called back to reality rather rudely by his father, who was shouting at him to get back in to the kitchens and get ready for the evening rush now that his break was over...

* * *

><p>It wasn't easy for Morgani to wait out the storm. The power of the forces of nature was breathtakingly violent, especially when nightfall came around. She hovered high above the tumultuous clouds that swirled over the valley. At least it wasn't boring. But she could see an end to the two day long storm as the wind finally started to push the clouds slowly eastward. She missed the gloom the ink-black clouds had brought to their surroundings, and the violent crashing and booming that helped keep her awake. But hopefully, as the day wore on, her patience would prove rewarding.<p>

The time was soon approaching for the second gathering of the Archery Club that week. She hoped her moment would come quickly, she wouldn't be able to wait much longer for the target of interest to show themselves.

* * *

><p>Christina sat in a daze that day, nearing the end of math class. Today had been long and tedious, as they were covering double digit division, another of her least favorite things about math.<p>

"Now, homework everybody." Said the teacher to the general miss-consent of the class. "I want you to complete every third question of chapter four in your textbook, and show how you solved the problems." He said as the bell rang, much to the relief of every student in that room. "See you tomorrow."

"Don't they realize that we have a ton of OTHER subjects to worry about?" One girl complained loudly as they all filed in to the hallway. "How are we supposed to finish all of this crap with everything else we've got going on?"

The students certainly had noticed just in the first couple of weeks of school that year, that the amount of homework had been increased by nearly half of what they had in their year in elementary. And many were unhappy at the prospect of all the essays, AND the extra math homework that week. But Christina had something else to worry about entirely. How was she going to be able to keep an eye on Hillary when, outside of school and Archery Club, they had completely separate lives? Where would the enemy strike next? Would she be able to handle it? She was full of self doubt, even if she didn't show it to Rinoa all the time. But she'd do what she could to prove herself to...well...herself. Prove that she was worthy of the title she'd been given, and the power she was blessed with.

She was staring absentmindedly at her locker, which was adorned with Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter images, apart from images of her Aunt and Uncle, and her grandparents. There was also images of Michiru Kaioh, the famous violinist from Japan that inspired her to play the violin. And an image of her and her cat right on the door next to a magnetic mirror, since before Hillary, she didn't have any friends that she felt were 'worthy enough' do have pictures of pasted in her locker at school.

"Hey!" Hillary had come out from her class and spotted Christina, staring off into space. "Looking like that storm blew away just in time for our Club today."

"Cool, huh?" Smiled Christina when she realized someone was talking to her.

"After the Club, I've got a CD I wanna show you. C'mon, let's go get those bows and arrows before the others do." Hillary grabbed Christina's arm as Christina was closing her locker door, rushing down the hallway and nearly bumping in to Eric as he was getting ready to go back to the Apple Valley Inn to work.

* * *

><p>Morgani who was hovering above the school was able to see through the building as though it was transparent, and was watching as the girls went in to the gym before everyone else, to catch the best bows and arrows like before. <em>Good... good... <em>It was time for her plan to move forward at last. She didn't notice the tiny shadow hiding behind the bleacher seats in the gym as she raised a hand. One of these girls had to be the one targeted by Rubiella.

The doors all slammed shut at once with a sequence of loud bangs of metal on metal, Hillary- who had the red bow in her hands already looked around. Then she let out a terrible shriek of pain and shock as the bow started sparking, then growing.

"Get away from that!" Christina's first reaction was to protect her new found friend, knocking the suddenly strange bow out of her hands. She watched it fall to the floor as Hillary fainted from the shock of the pain, and what had just happened.

It was as though she were stuck in a bad movie, the bow was transforming before her very eyes in to a full sized mannequin which generated its own black bow in its hands. With Hillary blacked out, and the doors closed so no one would be able to get in, Christina's options to help her friend were limited. As the monster transformed, Christina ran and hid behind the bleacher seats nearest.

"Christina, what on earth are you doing, hiding at a time like this? Transform, NOW!" Snarled Rinoa, her New York accent coming through more obviously than ever in her agitation.

"Crap! Again? Fine..." Grumbled Christina, pulling out her henshin pen. "Callisto Moon Power- MAKE-UP!" She called out.

When the flash of violet light had vanished, the mannequin had taken its full form and was advancing on Hillary with a fierce looking set of bow and arrows all their own protruding from their hands.

"Hold it!" Said a voice unfamiliar to it just as Morgani appeared.

"What now?" Grumbled Morgani, who was just about to tell the puppet to kill the human girl before she turned in to a Senshi. They saw the silhouette of the person they least wanted to see at this moment. First there was that storm that delayed their plans by two days, now this.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Sailor Callisto was saying, her arms crossed over her chest in defiance, a calico cat with an upright crescent moon spot on its forehead standing with her. "I don't know what you're after, but you won't get it! In the name of love and justice, I will punish you!" She declared.

"Another nuisance... Arcana, take care of her while I check this out, would you?" Rubielle looked at the girl, pulling out the same stone she'd used in the jewelry store in her previous mission.

The puppet turned only its head in Callisto's direction, and that movement gave her the willies. It was like watching a badly drawn human figure trying to move.

"Get ready..." Rinoa mumbled as the hair on her own back stood up on end. Even she had the heebie jeebies when the monster Arcana generated the arrows right from her right palm. Next thing Rinoa saw was Sailor Callisto dodging the arrows as they were shot at her, she was running- or rather sprinting- across the gym floor in a panic, especially when she saw the arrows exploding and nearly missing her. Before being trapped in a far corner... "What a heroine... now she's trapped in a corner." Grumbled Rinoa.

Morgani frowned when the crystal didn't react.

"Dammit, it's not this human. Arcane, finish them both off. I have no reason to keep this girl alive now." She said just as Hillary stirred.

Callisto was stuck. She could see Hillary sitting up, and wondered what would happen to her if she didn't do something. But how was one supposed to fight exploding arrows being shot at you?

"I'll finish you off first, missy." Arcane hissed. "With my quartet arrow shot!"

Rinoa's eyes went wide at the threat that the puppet was clearly willing to carry out.

"Hillary!" She said, running up to the girl, who was now staring wide eyed in terror at the heroine being trapped by the monster with no apparent way out.

"Hey! How'd you learn to talk?" Hillary asked as another surprise that day caught her off guard. A talking cat?

"Never mind that, do you still have that pen you won from the game the other day?" Asked Rinoa hurriedly as the monster, and Hillary pulled it out from her pocket. "Good. Hold it out, and call out 'Elara Moon Power- Make Up!' You're the only one who can help Callisto right now."

Hillary didn't see what the point of shouting a few funny words would be, but she stood up anyways.

"Elara Star Power... MAKE-UP!" She called out, holding the pen high above her head.

She was engulfed in a brilliant crimson and yellow light. As she transformed, a crimson scythe with a deadly silver blade appeared, and taller than she was by about four heads, and when she took it in her hands what felt like a warmth spread through her body. The light faded, she reappeared in a completely different form.

During Hillary's transformation, something odd happened to Sailor Callisto. The T-Shirt lost its yellow portion, to turn white and the skirt lost its red stripe! She didn't notice right away, as she had been focussing on Hillary, though.

When the red and yellow light vanished, Sailor Elara stood where Hillary had been. Her ginger hair was up in an amber pony tail, a golden tiara with a red tear-drop shaped jewel was in the center of her forehead. Her Sailor Vest was Crimson, without any white stripes, her body suit was pure white, while her mini skirt was crimson. The brooch at her chest was a crimson shaped heart with canary yellow trimming, and a tear-drop shaped amber stone in the front with the symbol of Elara clearly visible and glowing at first. The front and back bows were canary yellow, and she wore crimson high heeled shoes.

"Wow!" Sailor Elara looked at herself by spinning around for a moment.

"Elara!" Rinoa snapped in alarm. "Quickly, point your scythe at Callisto, and shout "Elara Shield of Memories!"

"Oh, yeah, right!" Sailor Elara snapped her scythe in to attention, directing the blade at Callisto, who was still stuck in that corner. "Elara Shield of Memories!"

In the nick of time, what looked like a transparent wall of crimson and yellow appeared around Sailor Callisto. The four arrows struck the wall and exploded with such a force that Callisto swore it shook the floor of the gym.

"What? Who dares interrupt my fun?" Shouted Arcane in disgust and rage.

Elara whistled to get their attention.

"Over here big dumb and ugly!" Sailor Elara stood now with much more confidence at the fact that she had protected Sailor Callisto from turning in to live target practice. "From the distant world of Jupiter, blessed by the moon Elara, I am Sailor Elara!" She declared, sounding much braver than she felt once the puppet had turned just its head in her direction.

Callisto was elated. She couldn't believe that Hillary was the next senshi already! The shield dropped down.

"Are you ok?" Asked Sailor Elara.

"Yeah, but this creep isn't going to be... Callisto Phoenix Fire...STRIKE!" Replied Callisto, directing the fiery blaze at the monster that had nearly taken her life.

There was a high pitched, terrible scream that echoed in the whole gymnasium.

* * *

><p>Mrs. Spittle and the Archery class had heard all the noise and explosions, and managed to find the emergency button to force the doors to open again. They were now staring open mouthed and wide eyed at the two Senshi and talking cat. They hadn't seen the girls transform luckily, but it was a sight to see- confirming that Sailor Senshi were now in their small little town.<p>

"See? I TOLD you I wasn't lying!" Said one of the girls in that group.

_Uh-oh._..Thought Rinoa when she heard the voices, looked over and saw the Archery Group staring at them in shock.

"Callisto, Elara! Let's go." Said Rinoa. "Through the back door." She added.

Callisto and Elara turned and saw what made her so uneasy the teacher and the group of kids with her.

* * *

><p>The Moon Shadow Knight had been watching in the shadows. He'd been ready to step in the moment Callisto got cornered, considering she wasn't the most graceful of heroines just yet, but thanks to Sailor Elara's timely arrival, he needn't have worried. He smiled to himself beneath his arabian white mask before vanishing in to the shadows.<p>

* * *

><p>Outside of the school on the hill behind it was an ancient dirt road that was never used anymore on a plateau-like setting. The two girls faced each other, and Rinoa was beaming. She couldn't have been happier.<p>

"Sailor Elara, you were great! I thought Callisto here was a goner for sure!" Rinoa said.

"Thanks for the confidence in me." Grumbled Callisto at the cat's words.

"Wow... I'm a... Sailor Senshi? Just like you?" Blinked Sailor Elara.

"Yep! You're one of us! Thanks for helping me." Smiled Sailor Callisto.

Elara was still in shock. She looked at the height of the scythe that she held. Even with as tall as it was, she could still hold it with just one hand. It was incredibly light, and warm to the touch as though she had known this weapon before.

"Don't worry, Elara. You'll learn to use it, and before you know it, you'll be just as tall!" Rinoa said with confidence and reassurance that relaxed Elara.

"We'd better be getting back down there though... the Club is about to start!" Callisto realized. There was a flash of violet and pink light, and Christina reappeared, her shoulder length brown hair reappearing, and her civilian clothes replacing her Senshi disguise.

"Sailor Callisto?" Blinked Elara, having not recognized Christina because the disguise was so well.

Christina couldn't have been happier as she smiled at her new friend.

"Come on! Let's get going before they start without us!" She said, turning to the school.

Rinoa chuckled at how excited Christina was, knowing she wasn't alone in this fight anymore. She really only did one battle by herself, and fared rather well. But it was a testament as to how lonely she'd really been before her life changed forever that she was this happy and cheerful now...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments- <strong>Ok, so now the story is really starting to get under way here! You may notice a few similarities with the Control Center in this version, to the one in the live action Sailor Moon serial that ran in Japan? I liked a LOT of the aspects in that version compared to the anime, but I still greatly enjoy the classic manga too. I hope to be able to continue this story, as you may have noticed, there's a lot mythology and such involved. Have you guessed who the Goddess of Death is yet? If not, read a few more chapters.

I know some of you might be saying "Wait, isn't Saturn the Goddess of Death?" Well, I've tweaked the roles just a bit. Sailor Saturn is the Senshi of Destruction and Silence. And the person who is the Senshi of Death, or Goddess of Death is more closely linked to Hades, Zues and Hera as Serenity is to her mother.

Why does Elara have the scythe then? Well, that will be explained later on, so just sit tight because I don't wanna spoil the whole plot.

The title of the song is "Fire Within" for those of you curious, and I wrote it while listening to "We Believe You" On repeat, so find the instrumental version of that on YouTube, then read these lyrics. Most of them line up to that beat, but I made sure it wasn't a plagiarized song either. While it has a similar rhythm and such, it's not the same. It's not meant to be an english dub of "We Believe You" Or anything of the sorts.

Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of Sailor Moon Eternal! There is more to come!


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: **

**The Golden Moment**

_Dear Diary, _

_Today my new friend Hillary and I decided to go to the Arcade this weekend. It took a bit of working out between my Aunt and her mom, since we live outside of town and all, but Rinoa said it was a perfect chance to show Hillary the Control Room, and get to know my friend and fellow Senshi! She went all deep on me philisophically again and said that unity would be our greatest strength. I had a weird dream last night too. _

_I dreamt there was this deep, inky black lake or river (It was kinda hard to tell) with lillies all around. The sky was pitch black, without any stars at all. And there wasn't any ground around the river thing either. Like the river just opened up into the endless black nothingness. I was on a simple wooden boat, and at the end of the river was a door, or monster huge gate with strange symbols all around the edges. A woman stood there with a staff, she had the coolest black cloak! She also wore a strange outfit, kind of like a Senshi outfit, but somehow... better, like she was a status up above Sailor Moon even or something. I'm not sure. It's hard to describe. Behind her was a giant, spectral black three headed shadow, with the body of a dog. I couldn't see any real details about the dog looming between her and the gate._

_But another thing about this woman? I feel as though I know her, or knew her before from somewhere. But I've never seen anything or anyone like her. _

_Then when I got a look of her face I woke up. She had the same green eyes as I do, and the same bangs even. I wonder what it means? Should I bring it up to Rinoa once we're in the Control Room? I dunno... It's so confusing. I haven't even watched the Anime show about the girl who ferries people in to Hell in ages. So I don't know why I would be dreaming about a place like that. _

_Oh! Another thing. I didn't see the Moon Shadow Knight on the last battle. But I did see the person who summons those creepy puppets. She would be cool if she wasn't obviously trying to kill my alter ego, and thus... me. _

_I can't believe I'm no longer alone in this mission! Hillary acts as though we've known each other our whole lives even though we just met a few days ago. She gave me an awesome Michiru Kaioh CD, and tickets to the show she'll be performing here in the next few weeks! I can't believe it! My inner self was squeeing for glee at the thought of getting to see (And possibly meet) My idol! Michiru is so elegant and graceful, and her music is so inspiring! Now if only Sailor Venus were with her, then I could die and go to heaven a happy girl! _

_Not only did Hillary save my life the other day, but she's so sweet and kind. I wish there were more people like her around. We decided on karaoke Saturday in the Control Room to 'celebrate our friendship' as Rinoa put it. I'm so glad to be a Senshi, it's my opportunity to make friends like Hillary, and improve on my life. I wonder how I'm going to do on Karaoke? I've never done it before! Does that sound weird to you? I've just never had anyone my own age to share anything fun like this with before. I wonder... If I weren't a Sailor Senshi, would Hillary still be my friend? _

_But I need to go, my Aunt is calling me again for dinner... _

_Christina. _

* * *

><p>"Wow, so this place was under the arcade?" Blinked Hillary. It was Saturday morning, and she was standing at the entrance as the door closed behind her. She still couldn't believe it. She was a Sailor Senshi! And they were acting like this was a perfectly normal occurrence. She saw the karaoke machine, and the musical instruments that were in the large buffet cabinet.<p>

"Yup." Nodded Rinoa, jumping up on to the table in the center of the room. "This is where we will be holding our meetings, planning, and in general spend time together in between battles with the Dark Kingdom. But today is going to be for fun while I do some researching. Ok girls?"

Hillary didn't need telling twice. She grabbed Christina and pulled her over to the Karaoke machine. There they found a list of all the latest songs, and music that both wouldn't have any problems enjoying.

"Come on! Let's do a duet!" Hillary thumbed through the rather massive collection of tunes.

It turned out that Hillary was quite adept at singing in to a microphone, and helped Christina learn how to use one. They settled on their first song being written by a popular singer at the time, Loraine Felicia.

"_There's __no __need __for __those __tears__ on __your __face,_

_ There's no need for that anger buried deep in your heart. _

_ Replace it all indeed, all those tears would tear anyone apart. _

_ There's no reason, to hang on to that now. _

_ You can let go, just reach out to me. _

_ I was knocked to the ground, you took all my anger,_

_ I was hit around the face like I was nothing. _

_ The fear you put in me, I've overcome without shedding anymore tears._

_ I learned who I was, the me I'd forgotten over the many years. _

_ I can see your fear, you've lost all direction. _

_ No hope, no cries. No looking in your reflection. _

_ The emptiness caged in your heart, just reaching out before you're ripped apart._

_ You'd forgotten who you were, the shadow of your former self. _

_ I saw your light, reach through the darkness. _

_ The shadow pierced, in all directions. _

_ I saw from afar, you reached out your hand to me, _

_ To give me hope for my life, you gave it all back to me, _

_ When I had been stripped of hope and love, _

_ I was able to rise up and fight this deep, unyielding hate, _

_ And reach back to you. _

_ I found the will to smile again, _

_ The will to release all that anger as the wings unfold, _

_ To fly towards tomorrow with new found hope. _

_ I can smile again, the pure light of hope. _

_ I can reach out again, no longer afraid to see_

_ No longer afraid to see the real me, _

_ Who you helped bring out. _

_ There was no need for the tears that you once shed, _

_ The anger you once held on so tightly to has now been broken through. _

_ Having been replace with the power of your will, _

_ I can see you stand tall once more. _

_ I saw your light, reach through the darkness. _

_ The shadow pierced, in all directions. _

_ I saw from afar, you reached out your hand to me, _

_ And then I reached back! _

_ You gave me hope for my life, you gave it all back to me._

_ The will to fly towards tomorrow, to rid myself of all my sorrow. _

_ With this newfound hope, I can smile again. _

_ There was no need for the tears that you once shed, _

_ The anger you once held on so tightly to, the shields you had up have been broken at last. _

_ Having been replaced with your smile, and the strength of your will,_

_ I can see you stand tall once more..." _

_ The song ended with the final crescendo, and beat. _

"Wow, Christi! One would never guess you were this good at Karaoke! You sounded just like Miss Loraine!" Hillary said once the song was done, causing Christina to blush rather furiously. "I wish my sister knew about this place, we could be a trio of Karaoke singers, filling this whole building with out music!"

"Yeah? You think so?" Christina asked, still feeling slightly embarrassed.

"I know so! She loves these tunes, and Rinoa put every single album known to man in here judging by the size of those files." Nodded Hillary, who was suddenly interrupted by a loud rumbling noise.

"Sounds like someone is hungry." Sniggered Rinoa in spite of herself when she was absorbed with her work on the computers.

"I know! I can fix some ramen with rice noodles! That way we won't gain any weight and can still stuff ourselves." Christina's idea came out of nowhere.

"Oooh... I love rice noodle ramen!" Said Hillary as Christina put down her microphone, and went over to the kitchenette area to see what was in stock. And as it turned out, they had everything she needed to make her specialty style ramen.

"And Rinoa, I'll make you your favorite Chicken broth with chunks and veggies." Christina winked.

Rinoa stared. Christina's cheerful attitude was unusual, but then, maybe that's what finally having a friend who actually wanted to be around you would do to a person. It had been a long time since Rinoa saw Christina acting like the fourteen year old she was. This was a good improvement, she thought, as Hillary decided to sing another song while Christina was cooking.

Later in the afternoon, Rinoa called the two over to the computers.

"Did'ja find something?" Asked Christina through a mouthful of ramen that she was slurping. It was her second bowl at this point.

"Yes. First, I'm going to give you a run down of what I've figured out... The enemy doesn't seem to have any particular attack pattern. They struck the Jewelry store first. And since that's the only store like that in town, there was no where else to go. But next, they struck the school, more particularly the locker room of the gymnasium. They seem to be after something specific." Rinoa explained, showing the two on the computer a map of the town with red 'X' marks where the enemy had attacked so far.

"Not to mention, they use those creepy mannequin puppet things in their attacks." Christina recalled with a repressed shudder. She hated mannequins.

"Yes." Nodded Rinoa.

"But what are they after? Why have we been awakened?" Asked Hillary as she bit in to a piece of chicken.

Rinoa paused.

"Well... what they're after is the same thing that we are after. And we cannot let them get it." The cat finally said slowly, in her New York accent.

"And that is?" Pressed Christina, after swallowing her bite.

"Something called the Mystical Jovian Crystal, and the Goddess of Death, who is its keeper. When we find the Goddess, we find the Crystal." Replied Rinoa, turning to face the two girls, who stared.

"No offense, Rinoa, but why would we WANT to find this Goddess of Death?" Blinked Hillary.

"Because, if the enemy found her and the Crystal she carries within her, then they would be able to control the cycle of life and death itself, Hillary." Rinoa stared with her amber eyes rather seriously. "They'd be able to control who died and when. They'd be able to kill everyone on this planet, and many more worlds, if they got their hands on the Crystal and the Goddess."

"Wow..." Stared Christina. "Power over death and the ability to wipe out whole populations? How can we find and protect someone and something that powerful?"

"Don't worry about that. By the time we find BOTH the Goddess of Death, and the Mystical Jovian Crystal, I plan to have you strong enough to be able to handle anything that comes your way. You have a powerful enemy as it is, and more and more will be attracted by the aura of the Goddess, and the power of her Crystal."

"So... Do you have any clue as to how to find her?" Hillary set down her now empty bowl of ramen in the sink.

"Yes. The enemy has struck the school, so they must think that the Goddess is around your ages. They have also made the mistake of attacking the Store, which revealed to me early on what they must be searching for. Hillary, it's a good thing you live in town. You'll be able to keep an eye on things easier and alert us." Rinoa paused before sitting up. Then she performed a summersault in mid air. There was a flash of light, and three objects fell on to the table she was sitting on. "These are for us to use."

They were watches, or at least, appeared to be watches.

"What are they?" Hillary picked up the crimson and canary yellow watch, while Christina was reaching out for the purple and pink one. Their watches had their symbols set in the center of the digital clock. There were two knobs on the side, one slightly bigger than the other.

"Communicators. If anything happens, Hillary, while Christina and I aren't around, you'll be able to summon us using that." Rinoa said rather slyly. "The bigger knob is for communicating with us. Try it out."

Hillary turned the larger knob, and got a shock when the whole miniature screen the size of a quarter turned in to a tiny video with Christina's face, staring back just as dumbstruck.

"See? Each one in your group will receive one of these. And I have this one too." Rinoa said, showing the girls how to use the watches as communicators.

"Handy." Christina looked closely at her own as the screen turned on and Hillary's face appeared on it.

"Indeed." Rinoa nodded in agreement. "It would've been impossible to keep things going at a steady pace with Christina being so far out of town otherwise."

"It's not my choice my uncle likes being a hippy whenever he's back from his big fishing trips." Grumbled Christina.

The sterio was on the F.M. Radio local network, and had just announced a new song will be played by the legendary Minako Aino from Japan, and in English at that.

"Oh!" Christina's mind went suddenly to that song, and she became glued to the sterio as the beat started, while both Rinoa and Hillary stared at her. "I love Minako Aino!"

"I thought Loraine was your favorite?" Blinked Rinoa.

"She's good, but she's no Minako-san." Christina shook her head. "Minako-san has been singing long before Loraine!"

"_There's __no __room __for __loneliness __in __this __world,_

_ The world that is so full of wonder and people, _

_ Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build? _

_ Just stop and look around, there's nothing else to say or do, _

_ But move forward to tomorrow's door. _

_ Can't you see what it's like to be something so much more than what you are? _

_ There's the trigger, there's that look, there's the way in which_

_ Everything which you had taken, _

_ Through the darkness, that took forever to get through, _

_ Kept running through millions of shadows, _

_ To find that door to tomorrow's glow. _

_ Can't you see now what it's like, having overcome so much of yourself to become more?_

_ Forgotten, laying in shadow and darkness, _

_ Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build? _

_ Laying on your own, there's no chance, _

_ But with us, you have hope from the rest. _

_ Just stop running and look around, _

_ You can push open that door to tomorrow. _

_ Power from within, that forgotten will, _

_ All of your fears, all of your doubt, _

_ Will disappear in time._

_ Reach within yourself, reach out to us, _

_ We can see what your strengths are, can see that hope in your eyes. _

_ Forgotten, laying in shadow, _

_ Please don't let them take down this wall. _

_ There's no room for loneliness in this world, _

_ The world that is so full of wonder and people, _

_ Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build? _

_ Just stop and look around, there's nothing else to say or do, _

_ But move forward to tomorrow's door. _

_ Can't you see what it's like to be something so much more than what you are?_

_ There's the trigger, there's that look, there's the way in which_

_ Everything which you had taken, _

_ Through the darkness, that took forever to get through, _

_ Kept running through millions of shadows, _

_ To find that door to tomorrow's glow. _

_ Can't you see now what it's like, having overcome so much of yourself to become more?" _

Christina thought it was one of the better songs she'd heard that day. It was a little different than what Minako usually sang about, but still right up there with her favorite songs from the songstress.

"Well, now that we are done gawking musical talents, perhaps we can get back to work here?" Said Rinoa, slightly irked at how quickly Christina lost interest today compared to her normal hyper focusing.

* * *

><p>"Morgani... this is twice now that you have failed, and twice now that one of the Jovian Senshi have been awakened as a result of your mistake." Frowned Rubiella in the living area, where they were all gathered. "I will give you one last chance to prove yourself to me, but if you fail... then Wolfani will take your place, and your punishment will be severe."<p>

"Yes, My Lady." Morgani bowed to her mistress, her face pale and stretched looking with worry about what kind of punishment it would be if she failed. She had to pick her target wisely this time, and held up her Searching Stone.

* * *

><p>It was mid afternoon, and Hillary had dragged Christina to the music room, where they waited for Hillary's older sister, Annie, to get out of choir lessons that day. Hillary poked her head in the slightly opened door once the last few notes were sung, and the teacher- a tall, thin man by the name of Mr. Shrout- gave the dismissal for the class.<p>

"Annie! Annie!" Hillary called over the heads that were leaving the classroom, and a girl taller than either Hillary or Christina by at least a foot approached. She had waist length burnt ochre naturally curly hair, peach skin with a light tan, and amber yellow eyes. She wore a yellow t-shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans with a blue jean jacket. At the bottom of her pants legs, however, was a design of yellow and silver beads sewn in to the denim in the form of butterflies and daisy flowers. Her shoes were white tennis-shoes with a yellow stripe around the bottom.

"Hey!" Annie said, hurrying over. "Hill, you get out of class early today or what?"

"Yep, we finished our work early with five minutes to spare, and Mrs. Finn decided to be merciful today." Grinned Hillary. "By the way, Annie, this is Christina, my friend I told you about on Monday." Hillary introduced Christina to her older sister by two years, Annie.

"Nice to meet you." Annie shook Christina's hand and blinked. She felt a shock wave of familiarity even though she was quite certain she'd never met Christina in her life before.

"Anne?" Hillary stared at her unusually quiet older sister.

"It's nothing, let's go get lunch, shall we?" Annie gave a broad smile, and the three first went to their lockers to unload their books, then got in line in the cafeteria.

The three of them had an enjoyable lunch that day, discussing Sailor Moon, which Senshi they liked, and whether or not the new Senshi that was appearing in their little town was going to catch the bad guys soon.

"Honestly, this town is so small, I'm surprised they haven't been caught yet." Annie was shrugging. "Did you hear that there are rumors that this Sailor Callisto has a couple of allies now?"

"No!" Christina said after Hillary stomped on her foot rather painfully when she'd been about to answer 'yes'. So in retaliation, she yanked on Hillary's pony tail, rather effectively nearly pulling her out of the bench.

Annie raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Well, one is of course the incredibly dreamy Moon Shadow Knight... how he dresses in all white Arabian robes and cloak, with those blue eyes? And the other is someone named Sailor Elara. She's got that wicked cool scythe... I wonder why though? The scythe is the symbol of the Goddess of Death and Destruction one would think." Annie realized she was rambling, and spotted the smug look on her little sister's face.

"I thought you said you weren't one of the many people focussing on the issue?" Hillary said, wagging her fork full of salad at her sister.

"Guilty as charged." Annie raised her hands in surrender.

"Hey, why don't we get together at that Jewelry store after school? They have a wicked cool sale going on." Annie suggested. "I'll get us each one thing to celebrate our new friendship, ok?"

"Sweet!" Hillary said. "I knew there was a reason I loved having you for a big sister." She grinned.

Eric was sitting with his group of friends, and glanced over when he heard someone talking.

"Looks like the freak show just got bigger." One of the cheerleaders in the cafeteria was saying.

Eric on the other hand thought it was a good thing that it was becoming easier for Christina to make friends. She'd been a loner since elementary school, not that he hadn't tried, but no one else wanted her around for very long.

"Guys, she's really not all that bad." He said, in a tone that got them to stop talking about Christina for the time being.

So after school that day, the three girls headed to the jewelry store on main street. Christina looked around. The last time she'd been in here was also the first time she'd fought as Sailor Callisto. Several cases had been shattered, as well as a tower display. It was amazing the difference and how fast the store recovered.

"Welcome, ladies! As a celebration for the reopening of the Okanogan Jewelry Store, everything in this store is fifty percent off, two days only." The store manager, a tall woman with short, shoulder length silvery hair said from behind the new glass cashier's table.

Christina was at once looking at the store's amethyst jewelry. There was a pair of earrings that resembled the ones she wore as Sailor Callisto, glimmering merrily up at her from the case, in the shape of diamonds, she felt a shadow looming over her from behind and jumped.

"You want those? Hnnn..." Annie checked on the price before giving the go-ahead. Normally those earrings would have been well over one hundred dollars, well out of her price range.

Hillary meanwhile was looking at the ruby jewelry. She found a pair of ruby earrings that were on sale that she was drawn to, with two small pea sized spheres, ending in a heart shaped ruby no larger than a dime, these pairs would sit comfortably on her ear lobe.

"If you young ladies like rare stones, you should check this place out." One of the store clerks who was always nice to them, handed Annie a flyer.

" '_Local __historic __mining __town__ opening__ again __for __the __first__ time__ in __nearly __ninety __years. __Ruby__ was __the__ start __of__ gold __mining __in __this __part __of __the __state, __and __without __it, __Okanogan __wouldn't __exist_.'" Annie read to Hillary and Christina.

"Ooh... maybe our geology or history teacher might do a field trip there!" Christina said rather eagerly.

"I didn't know you had an interest in history and geology." Hillary voiced.

"Oh yeah, my Uncle taught me to love and learn from the past." Christina said casually. Since she didn't have many friends in the past, not many people her own age knew her hobbies or what she liked outside of the classroom. And even then, most of her classmates ignored her. It was one of many reasons why, before she found out who her cat really was, she felt rather caged in that small town. But now she could feel her world broadening, and her fate altering in such a way she never even dreamed.

Hillary and Annie both looked at her.

"What? It's not like I can go around the school shouting about what I like to do or anything." Christina said rather tartly, going over to look at the hand blown and carved figurines by a local artist.

Annie and Hillary looked at each other, not failing to notice the touch of bitterness in her voice. So they decided to drop the subject.

* * *

><p>Later on that evening in her bedroom, Christina was trying on her new earrings in her bedroom.<p>

"Where did you get those?" Rinoa asked curiously, jumping on to the dresser to get a closer look. These earrings looked identical to the ones she wore back in the days of Silver Millennium, and surprised her that they would turn up again in this form.

"Hillary's older sister, Annie got them for me at the Jewelry Store's reopening sale." Replied Christina, leaning forward and turning her head slightly a few times to the left and right to see how they looked. She had her brown hair hanging loose, but it still only went just past her shoulders. One would hardly be able to tell that she was Sailor Callisto, even with the earrings.

Christina had already said goodnight to her aunt, so they didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on them then having to explain an awkward moment at being caught with a talking cat.

"You know, during the days of Silver Millennium, you wore earrings exactly like those all the time." Rinoa said fondly. "Perhaps this is a sign of your old self peeking through?"

"I did?" Christina blinked down at her cat, then back up at her reflection.

"If those earrings have reappeared, then that means your awakening is speeding up." Nodded Rinoa as Christina took the earrings off again and placed them in their velvet purple protective. On her dresser was also another new acquisition from the store that she'd bought herself with her allowance- a hand blown glass figurine of a large white tiger, brilliant blue sapphire eyes, standing magnificently on a base of varying crystal types, its head held up tall and proud, and tail long and curved as it roared. "For they were a symbol of your Royalty, and who you were to become one day. I wasn't sure at first, to be honest. But now I am certain that you are the Princess of the planet Jupiter, and next in line to inherit the throne." Rinoa looked up at Christina proudly as Christina was busy selecting a nightgown to put on that evening.

"Me...A princess? You've gotta be kidding." Christina was shaking her head in doubt as she turned from Rinoa and changed in to her violet nightgown that she'd selected. "A Sailor Senshi I can understand, but you're yanking me if you think I'm some kind of Princess or whatever... Like how Sailor Moon is supposed to be the Princess of the Moon? Come on." This was the first time she'd ever doubted Rinoa. The fact that she was a Princess, and next in line to inherit the throne was too much to believe.

"Have I ever lied to you, Christina?" Rinoa asked, a bit miffed that Christina didn't have more faith in her.

"No, but I find it a bit hard to believe that a nobody from a small, God-forsaken town would suddenly be told she's a Sailor Senshi, future leader of the team, then a few days later told that she's also a Princess? Come on, it's too much!" Christina shook her head vigorously.

Wind had started howling outside again, so she closed her bedroom window before getting underneath her covers.

"Yes, but the incredible happens in this world all the time, Christina. Not all is as it may appear to be. Even a nobody, teased and abused by her classmates can become something more. And one day, those classmates might be regretting how they have treated you in the past when they realize what a good person you truly are." Rinoa consoled the girl, who she'd seen go through a lot of emotional turmoil over the last several days while silently trying to come to grips with her new reality. She was quieter and calmer than most girls her age naturally, since the death of her parents she became incredibly withdrawn from the world. Hopefully that would be changing as time went on.

There was a rumble of thunder as Christina pulled down the shade over her bedroom window that would block out any possible lightning from the approaching storm. She liked this time of the year in the valley, whatever she said. The storms were somehow comforting, and eased her to sleep better than the white noise from a box fan. And after turning off her lamp on the nightstand next to her bed, the room went completely dark, and she curled up under her covers and blankets, with Rinoa curling in to a ball nearby. So Christina, in spite of her annoyance with her cat, stroked Rinoa's fur until she drifted off to sleep.

Even the loud storm that rolled in couldn't wake her at this point, or the bright flashes of lightning that lit up her bedroom even with the shade down. Though Rinoa certainly perked her ears and opened her eyes, making her amber eyes look like two little lanterns in the room when her aunt came to check in on her niece to make sure she was asleep and not up reading or anything.

Robin smiled, seeing Christina curled up in the fetal position in the bed, a hand resting lightly on her cat. She closed the door quietly before heading back downstairs.

* * *

><p>It proved true in regards to one of their teachers making a field trip day to go to the small mining town Ruby that had just reopened for the historical significance it held to the area, much like another even smaller town than Okanogan up near the mountains in that area, Winthrop. Only Winthrop had much more of the classic 'wild west' feel to it than Ruby or Okanogan.<p>

It was their geology teacher, a man in his late thirties simply known as Mr. Bartlet or Mr. B who arranged the field trip, and soon, their class was talking of nothing else, because it would be their chance to get hold of some real gold to find out what it was like, even go in to the old mine that was just renovated and made safe for people to go in again.

Christina was hoping to get in to the mine, herself, due to the fact that she loved crystals and rare gemstones and she knew enough about the earth and geology to know that this mine in particular had once been famous for its gemstones and minerals, apart from gold. Hillary, in the meantime was eager to try her hand at panning for gold, something she'd only seen a few people from their town doing in the summer, some old fellows many in the town called 'outright hippies'. She thought it was cool how something so valuable could be found by sifting through a bunch of dirt. Annie was going as well, but with her own class. She was hoping to try her hand at some mining as well, so while the three were going to be split up, it was still going to be fun.

The only people who seemed to have anything to complain about were the cheerleaders, who griped about the fact that they didn't want to get dirt all over their outfits, or break any nails.

"What a bunch of snobs." Scoffed Annie at lunch. "You'd think a little real life experience would be enough to kill them."

"It's not their fault they're spoiled rich and think the world revolves around them." Christina agreed as she stabbed some of her hamburger casserole on her lunch tray- she was in a rather tetchy mood because someone made a rather unpleasant comment about her in English earlier that day, and her spelling when she had been writing on the white board for the teacher. While she had great hand writing, her spelling admittedly was abysmal for her age, though Rinoa had been coaching her in her last several assignments and she was slightly better than she used to be. Her classmates still got to her sometimes, though.

Today, she was wearing her new earrings, not to get noticed by anyone, but because it now felt strange not to wear them wherever she went. It was like they had quickly become a part of her somehow.

Hillary was also wearing her new earrings that her older sister had got for her, while Annie wore a necklace that she'd got herself- a small gold flower that looked as though it were of another world, set in silver with a large white pearl in the center where the pollen stems would normally be. This pendant was the size of a nickel, and hung on a fine, thin chain of silver.

"Any plans after school?" Annie asked.

"Yeah, Hillary and I were going to the arcade again." Christina replied.

"Sounds fun. I'll make sure to tell mom you're going to be late again." Annie grinned at her sister, unable to avoid the fact that it felt like the two girls were hiding something from her. She voiced none of this, it wouldn't do good to accuse her sister and new best friend of something when technically they hadn't done anything wrong that she was aware of. "I'm going to be staying after school to get some extra choir practice in since we'll be gone tomorrow at Ruby."

So after saying goodbye to Annie after school, Christina and Hillary made their way down the street to the arcade once more, occasionally ducking their heads as a powerful blast of wind whipped through the valley. Clouds still hovered ominously over the town, extending over the Okanogan Valley like a herald of woes yet to come. It had been stormier than usual even for this time of the year, and it was a subject that Rinoa wished to address, among other things.

"This storm is not natural." Rinoa said once Hillary and Christina were gathered in their Command Center. "It has been summoned by our enemy in an attempt to interrupt your power and connections to the Moons of Jupiter."

"But we've only just started learning how to use our power." Hillary said after swallowing a mouthful of salad that Christina had put together. "What are they trying to prove by trying to weaken us before we even know how to use it?"

"They do not know how powerful you could become, for you are different Senshi than those in Japan. Your powers are those yet untested." Rinoa sat in the middle of the table looking at the two girls. "Even I do not know the limits of your strength as of yet. It has been long since you've last had to fight. And I fear that the next time the enemy attacks, you might not be able to fend them off on your own."

"What about the Moon Shadow Knight? He's been helping us from the start." Said Christina.

Rinoa looked at her.

"I am not sure if we can trust him fully just yet. Sure he's kicked the enemy around a few times, but that does not make him a true ally of ours until he has fully gained our trust. I know you are eager to accept his help," Rinoa said quickly to the two girls, "But until we have learned his full purpose, I would not be so willing to accept him as a friend."

Hillary and Christina looked at each other. Even though she barely knew him, it was hard for Christina to think of the Moon Shadow Knight as an enemy.

"Now... to the subject of this field trip...This will be an ideal situation for an attack from the enemy. The class is going to be split up in to groups, and it will be easier for them to narrow down their target. Or targets." She jumped from the table to the desk across the room in a single bound, and picked up another pen. This one was in the shape of Christina's and Hillary's, but the colors were different. The main color of this pen was gold, but it was lined in silver at the base and the tip. The star cap of this pen was in yellow gold with the symbol set in the center- a golden circle with a dot in the center. "Christina, take this with you just in case something should happen. I haven't sensed any enemy activity in the last few days, but it never hurts to be prepared." She jumped back to the table, handing Christina the transformation pen for another Senshi.

Christina took it in her hands with a curious look on her face, wondering if the new Senshi was really going to appear in the old mining town. Or if this was a false alarm that they were reading too much in to.

* * *

><p>"You've got everything?" Robin was asking the next morning. "I made you a healthy lunch for the field trip, and put in an extra soda for the occasion. You packed an umbrella?"<p>

"Yes, Aunt Robin." Christina's voice was slightly annoyed as her Aunt double checked on everything as she pulled on her purple rain jacket. She had her hair back in a pony tail that day, and once again was wearing her amethyst diamond shaped earrings. Due to the weather, she was wearing a thick purple sweater, dark blue jeans, and water proof tennis-shoes. Just in case things cleared up, though, she'd brought a t-shirt and a light jacket in her back pack.

Over night the clouds had started dumping rain in buckets it seemed like, on the whole town, with flashes of lightning that lit up the horizon for a couple of seconds each time.

"Ok, let's go." Robin smiled.

Rinoa had used her particular brand of magic to convince Robin to take her with them to the school that day so she wouldn't have to go to town on a rainy day, and was waiting by the door.

And once at the school, Rinoa once again used her powers to get the teachers, and the bus driver to allow her to go to the mining town, Ruby. Sometimes it came in handy, she thought as she sat on Christina's lap on the bus that morning, not being an average cat. Especially when she knew she needed to be with Christina at all times just in case something happened.

Christina and Hillary were sitting in the back of the bus, comparing notes on their research of the mining town that they'd done that day in the school library before it was time to go.

"Apparently there was a collapse of the mine and forty eight men were injured, and eight died in the initial collapse." Hillary read off from her notebook. "You really wanna go some place where that many people were hurt and killed all at once?"

"Hey, I think it'll be interesting." Shrugged Christina as the bus jolted slightly when it went on to dirt road.

* * *

><p>The scenery around them for the last hour had been of dense pine forest, with the occasional Blue Spruce tree, and rain lashed on the bus windows, painting them an inky sort of black. The storm wasn't showing any signs of letting up, so practically everyone had come on the bus wearing some sort of raincoat, carrying umbrellas.<p>

"It's insane, the school allowing this field trip on such a rainy day! My new hairstyle will get ruined because of it!" One of the cheerleaders complained loudly.

It was general consensus that the cheerleaders were either from some of the wealthier families in the town, or were of the thin, popular sort.

"Heaven forbid your hair gets all frizzy." Snarled Christina, who went unheard at the back of the bus. She was not a fan of the cheerleaders, for they had once pulled a nasty prank on her, filling her locker with a bunch of caterpillars when she'd first started attending elementary. Since then, she'd made it apparent, her animosity towards the girls.

Finally, after another hour and a half, the buses pulled in to the mining town. It had an old, historically correct western town feel to it, with the cabins and even a bar. There was only one central street, which had been paved, and very few cars. Women and men were walking under the covered walkways wearing period clothing and dresses, giving Christina the feeling that she'd just gone back in time about a hundred years or so.

A man in cowboy outfit with a hat, reminding Christina strongly of one of her ancestors in a family photo, stood waiting for them at the library.

"Howdy kids, and welcome to Ruby, open for the first time in nearly eighty years." The man said, tipping his hat to the group of students that was quickly swelling in size as Annie's own class came out of a bus behind Christina and Hillary's. "We're gonna start off by giving a bit of local history about this place. Now, who all can tell me if they know why this here town was formed?"

To nobody's surprise, Hillary raised her hand.

"Yes, you there in the red shirt." He said.

"It was a mining town, bringing in gold and other sorts of minerals and precious gemstones to the region." She answered as though she'd swallowed a textbook.

"Exactly, miss. This town was once the life blood of this region. But it shut down after what happened?" He prompted.

Hillary raised her hand again.

"Yes?" He raised a brow at her.

"There was an earthquake at the mine, which caused it to collapse, and many miners were hurt, and about eight were killed in one of the deeper shafts." She said.

"Right you are, miss. You're mighty smart about this here town-" At which Hillary was beaming, though pretending not to look too thrilled about the compliment. "- Now, I'm assuming you've all got your groups and pairs figured amongst yer'selves?" He said, and there was a general nodding of agreement among the many students. "Good, good. Now, let's head to city hall, where you'll meet your pack leaders for the day, and start a'learning about this here culture and people more proper-like."

It was a neat thing, to Christina, feeling the damp wood of the covered walkway as they went down the street to what was easiest the tallest and largest building of the town, City Hall with a clock tower and old fashioned bell that tolled as each hour passed them.

"Now, our bell-ringer will let ya'll know when it's time for lunch, until then, have fun and stay safe. It won't do to be a'wand'rin around when it's wet and rainy like this." The man said, and he went off back to the Library, where he awaited the students from the neighboring town, Omak.

The paved road was the only thing truly modern about this town, the rest of it, even the sweet shop, had older candies that not even Okanogan had in its sweets store, like candy sticks, for starters.

Christina's group included herself, Rinoa, a blond girl who was part of the cheerleading troupe, and, to her surprise, Eric.

"Everyone got their helmets and tools?" Asked the man in charge of this group. They each- except for Rinoa- carried a pic axe and a shovel.

"If you can call these tools." The blond girl grumbled.

"Now, little lady, the best way to build some character is by some good, old fashioned work. If you wanna learn where those fancy stones you wear around your wrist and neck come from, this is the only way." The man said rather sternly.

"Or I could just watch something about mining on History Channel." She mumbled, barely audible.

"If I didn't know better, Audrey, I'd say you were scared to go in to the mine." Christina was unable to restrain herself. Audrey, after all, had been the one in the lead of that prank that involved the caterpillars in her locker.

"Me, scared?" Said Audrey indignantly, though her voice was higher than usual. "As if! Not with handsome here." She said, referring to Eric- who rolled his eyes.

He knew he was popular among the girls of his school, and sometimes it was rather annoying. Especially knowing how clingy the cheerleaders could be to the boys they obsessed over.

They approached the entrance of the mine, wide open like a cave, but with a metal gate keeping out any intruders or pranksters.

Once they were past the gate, however, it was like entering a separate realm. The only lights were lanterns on metal brackets, and lights from their helmets. There were no elevators like in the movies, or some of the more modern mines on the eastern side of the country. And Christina was ever grateful that she'd dressed warmly, as their breath rose in a mist in front of them the deeper they were led.

It was a strange feeling, when they reached a spot that their guide refused to go beyond.

"What's down there?" Asked Audrey rather nervously.

"That is near where the mine collapsed. It has a nasty feeling lingering there," The guide replied, their voices sounded strange and echoing in the mine tunnel. "But enough about that. I didn't come here to tell you kids ghost stories... now..." He started explaining how they could tell on the walls what parts should reveal what they really came all this way for. He started digging on the walls, moving a bunch of dirt and regular rocks until... "Here we go, see this?" He pointed at a vein of gold, next to some glimmering rocks still embedded in the earth.

Christina wasn't paying attention, while she stood next to Eric, she was looking down the tunnel, feeling drawn down that path for a reason she couldn't explain. It was almost like staring down in to the depths of hell, the deep parts of the mine shrouded in shadow. She could feel something reaching out to her, an eerie mist with no source was floating towards them... towards her, she felt. She tried squinting, swearing that she could see a face in the mist.

"Christina?" Eric said, bringing her back to reality rather quickly, having noticed that she wasn't paying attention.

She jumped slightly, blinking, when she looked back at what their guide had just dug up- a large, rough amethyst stone. But when she glanced back, she saw the mist was gone, that feeling of being drawn to the deep depths of the mine had vanished as quickly as it came. It looked now just like a regular empty mine shaft.

* * *

><p>Hillary in the mean time was underneath a tarp-covered spot next to the Salmon River, which cut from the hills, down through Ruby, then to the Okanogan. The river was rich in minerals and gold, and she was having fun shaking her old copper pan currently full of some dirt, and mostly river water. The water was rather clean today due to the rain, and Hillary suddenly let out a squeal of joy when she realized what was shimmering up at her out of the dirt.<p>

"Well done!" Said the woman in charge of her group. "That's about two ounces of gold right there." She picked up the largest nugget of gold from the pan. "I'd be lying if I didn't say that is one of the largest nuggets found here in a while."

Hillary earned many glares of jealousy from her fellow classmates who were still struggling to find even a speck of gold. But she proved to be just the right amount of encouragement that gold could be found, to get the others to be working under the tent just as hard. Even the heavy rainfall couldn't dampen their spirits at this point.

* * *

><p>Annie in the meantime was enjoying standing near the river at a different point downstream, where the dredging rig was being worked by two self proclaimed hippies of the age. She already had several ounces of gold in a small silk sack. She was easiest the best in that group, and one of their leaders said she had a real knack for locating one of the most valuable minerals in the area.<p>

She spent the morning getting her feet wet and hands dirty and muddy, excited about her prospects in the future. The price of gold by the ounce would only climb. And if she was smart about it, she could very well be rich one day. She was starting to understand why some people could catch Gold Fever, it was something that was very hard to kick once one got going.

* * *

><p>Nearby, however, things weren't so cheerful, or friendly. Morgani stood in the rain, though she was not wet. The rain didn't touch her, or have any effect on her. She frowned as she stared at the groups of students dotted here and there under bright blue tarp-covered areas at the bends of the river. She held up her Searching Stone, vanishing, then reappearing above the old mining town, hovering above each tarp in turn. Each tarp, it did not react to what she was looking for, until she reached the bend closest to the town. Then Stone glowed bright gold.<p>

At that moment, though, a great, booming bell rang throughout the town twelve times, marking the start of the lunch hour. And Morgani had to wait before striking, to make sure that she was right in what the Stone told her.

* * *

><p>They had agreed to meet at the restaurant in the town for lunch, and Christina, Hillary and Annie were sitting at a covered table, eating their lunch and comparing their findings. So far, Christina had found many rather valuable gemstones- amethyst, jade and sapphire among her collection. While The two sisters, Hillary and Annie, were comparing their growing collection of gold from the river.<p>

Eric, meantime, was with his group of friends talking about how cool the old mine was, and that they were able to get down and dirty without getting yelled at by their parents.

The only people who had anything to complain about were the cheerleaders, some of whom were flat out refusing to go near the mine or the river, and had spent their morning looking at the period costumes on display in one of the old brothel buildings.

There would be an hour that the students could explore the town on their own, before they had to go back to their groups once more. So after they were done with lunch, Christina, Hillary and Annie all decided to check out the sweet shop. By the time they were at the store, the rain had finally stopped falling, leaving behind the fresh, renewed scent of the forest as the clouds were being blown away from the small town. But there was just enough of a chill, or bite in the air that they kept their jackets on.

"Finally." Annie said, folding up her umbrella after shaking the rain water off it.

They stepped in to the shop, looking at all the old fashioned, and hand made sweets. Christina couldn't help herself as she got some grape flavored rock candy on a stick, Hillary a large jawbreaker, and Annie some chocolate truffles. They were all munching their treats as they left the shop.

Rinoa, in the meantime, had been exploring the mining town, looking for any signs of the enemy apart from the storm that had passed through. She saw Christina and Hillary with Annie, enjoying a breath of fresh air during the break they had and smiled. Meowing, she went over to the trio, calico tail held jauntily high.

"Rinoa, there you are." Christina bent down to scoop up her cat.

"What a pretty little girl." Annie scratched Rinoa's chin, and Rinoa was purring rather loudly in response.

"Wow, she must really like you, Annie." Commented Christina. "Normally she's the queen grump-meister." Her little comment earned a glare from the cat.

* * *

><p>Morgani saw her chance. She doubted whether or not she'd get another opportunity to strike. She vanished from her spot above the town to reappear directly in front of the trio of girls and their cat. Raising a hand, she flexed it and the doors in all the shops were closed. She directed the palm of her other hand above her, sending a gray fog around the town causing nearly everyone else to collapse.<p>

"Who are you? What are you doing?" Annie demanded, getting in to protective big sister mode and standing in front of Hillary and Christina.

"That is unimportant... what is important, is what you carry within you, girl." Morgani replied with a frown, flicking some of her blue hair behind her shoulders.

"Annie, come on, let's get out of here!" Hillary said, grabbing her sisters' arm and pulling her away.

"You can run, but you can't hide." Morgani smiled, bringing her right hand forward, then bending her fingers like she was manipulating a puppet on strings, and out of the ground rose... a mannequin. "Kasumi, capture them."

This mannequin was different than the others she'd used before. There was a more mechanical way to its movements, the skin was opaque, and she wore a simple red, knee length gown with a slit at its waist, and a v-neck line that was rather low cut. The hair was shoulder length and red, while its eyes were glowing blue.

"Kill the one in red... we need the one in yellow." Morgani ordered.

* * *

><p>Christina, who'd been running with Hillary and Annie stopped at an alley.<p>

"Keep going!" She said, making it sound like she was right behind the two sisters. Instead, she slipped in to an alley between the library and a bar, letting Rinoa jump down.

"Hurry, transform, Christina!" Rinoa said after she'd made sure Hillary and Annie had made it past the library and were headed to the buses.

"Right." Christina pulled out her transformation pen from her pocket, and the golden transformation pen from earlier fell from the pocket.

Rinoa caught it before it landed in the mud.

"I'll take this to Annie. Hold them off as long as you can." Rinoa's voice was muffled, and her New York accent came through even more strongly than before before the cat slipped away.

Christina nodded, gripping her pen. Once she was alone, she held her pen up above her head.

"Callisto Moon Power, MAKE-UP!" She called out...

* * *

><p>Annie and Hillary were both dodging attacks made by the mannequin called Kasumi, running between the buses, dodging blasts of thread or energy- it was hard to tell- as Kasumi gave chase.<p>

Annie, however, tripped at one point as they rounded her own bus, and just as she grabbed hold of the fender to stop herself from falling, what felt like hundreds of threads wrapped around her body.

"Oy!" Hillary shouted, whirling around then seeing what had happened to her sister. She stared in disbelief and horror as Annie then started screaming as some sort of power went from the mannequins' hands to Annie's body, and a symbol appeared on her forehead... The golden circle with the dot in the center.

_Amalthea!_ Hillary thought, not knowing exactly how she knew what that symbol stood for. _My __sister __was __Amalthea?_

"Now..." Morgani appeared in front of Annie, once more holding out the Searching Stone, this time right up to her heart.

When at that moment, a glowing yellow star came out of no where, slicing through the threads that Kasumi had used to capture Annie in the first place, and Annie fell to the wet ground sideways with a grunt.

During that moment, Hillary hid behind the bus, grabbing her transformation pen.

"Who dares?" Morgani shouted in anger.

"That would be me." An unpleasantly familiar voice called from atop the opposite bus.

There, silhouetted against the clouds was the one person she did not want to see again.

"Have you forgotten me already, you witch?" Sailor Callisto snarled as Annie looked up to the source of her voice, and thus her savior.

"Sailor Callisto?" She gasped. She looked almost exactly as the newspapers had shown her in the black-and-white clips, and the brief images from the local news television program.

Callisto jumped then landed in a smooth movement on the ground from her spot on the bus.

Annie thought there was something familiar about those diamond shaped violet earrings. Then when she heard the girl's voice, it dawned on her, and her eyes went wide.

"Indeed." Sailor Callisto said, staring at Morgani now. "You made a big mistake, attacking her. In the name of Callisto, I Sailor Callisto will punish you!"

"Don't forget about me!" Sailor Elara called out, having transformed while everyone was distracted by Callisto's timely arrival.

"Great, just great... another Sailor brat." Snarled Morgani. "Kasumi, kill them all. The Stone didn't react to the girl." She said, turning away from them all. What looked like a black hole appeared in the direction she was walking, and she vanished through it in an instant.

"Not a problem..." Kasumi brought her hands up and extended her fingers of both hands, one each at Callisto and Elara.

Soon the two Senshi were dodging and in general running for their lives with the rather destructive threads that extended from Kasumi's fingers.

* * *

><p>"Annie..." Rinoa whispered, and Annie turned to look at who spoke to her. "Down here."<p>

"A...cat?" Blinked Annie, recognizing Rinoa at once as Christina's cat. "Rinoa? How'd you learn to talk?"

"No time for that." Rinoa said. "Take this-" She had her transformation pen at her paw. "And call out 'Amalthea Moon Power- Make Up!'"

Annie stared in disbelief.

* * *

><p>In the mean time, Callisto and Elara had hidden behind yet another bus, back to back. Elara had her scythe raised, ready to attack, while Callisto was staring wildly around, fists clenched. When out of the blue, invisible threads came whipping towards them, and wrapped around the two Senshi uncomfortably tight and painful, back to back still, but unable to move.<p>

"Time to say goodbye, Senshi... Before I kill your friend." Kasumi said, jumping on to the bus rooftop and beginning to clench her hands in to fists. She moved her thumbs, and the girls felt several threads around their necks...

Until a white rose cut through the main threads, landing with the stem in the ground.

Callisto and Elara let out a gasp when they were set free, falling to their knees.

"Don't give in to fear, Sailor Scouts." The Moon Shadow Knight warned. "Strength and confidence are your strongest allies!"

"Moon Shadow Knight?" Blinked Elara, this being the first time she actually got to see him.

* * *

><p>When Annie had transformed after calling out 'Amalthea Moon Power, Make-Up!', she reappeared from the flash of gold and silver light in her new outfit. Her main Sailor Senshi outfit color was gold, with a sleeveless golden vest, gold knee high, high heeled boots with an arc in the front trimmed in white on the top, her Senshi mini-skirt was in gold, while her front and back bows were silver. Her brooch was heart shaped, trimmed in silver, with gold on either side, and a silver tear drop shaped center. Her hair now hung to her waist and was wavy and light, while around her neck was a gold collar. Her gloves were elbow length with gold trim at the elbows, and she had earrings at the lobe of her ears which were two small diamond shaped triangles hanging from a gold pearl, while her body suit was white. The jewel at the center of her forehead tiara was gold, and she even looked a bit taller.<p>

"Wow... Not too shabby." She said, looking at herself in the reflection of the bus wall.

"Sailor Amalthea, hurry... you must use the attack phrase "Amalthea Golden Sonic Blast!" and aim your hands at the enemy, the puppet."

"Right." Amalthea nodded, hurrying to find her friends.

* * *

><p>The Moon Shadow Knight had jumped in between the two Sailor Senshi who were recovering from Kasumi's attack, barring them from the mannequins' path. When just as he and Kasumi were about to get in to a fight, something came flying at Kasumi from behind, hitting her square in the back. But they could all still feel the shock wave that came from this strange attack, as Kasumi's high pitched scream echoed in the parking lot.<p>

"What?" Callisto looked up, staring at their new savior. And when she saw Rinoa standing with her, her face broke out in to a smile. There was no guessing who this new Senshi was, in her opinion.

"And who are you?" Snarled Kasumi.

"From the system of moons that orbit around the largest planet of our Solar System, the moon of wind and air and golden skies, Amalthea, I Sailor Amalthea will punish you for trying to take the life of my little sister and new friend!" Amalthea declared, pointing at Kasumi.

"Nice words, Miss Amalthea, but can you back them up?" Snapped Kasumi, who's face remained impassive, but her voice was dark and dangerous.

"Try me." Amalthea said, a hand on her hips.

There was a flash of movement, Kasumi directed both hands at her new target, and Amalthea jumped out of the way.

"Elara, when you get the chance, put your shield around your sister... I can finish it off." Callisto whispered, and Elara nodded.

Luckily they didn't have long to wait, for Amalthea had managed to get close enough that Elara could just direct her scythe at her sister.

"Elara Shield of Memories!" She called out.

The shield went up just in time, and the threads from the puppet were deflected, bouncing off like harmless yarn.

The Moon Shadow Knight stepped aside to allow Callisto a clear shot.

"Callisto...Phoenix Fire... Strike!"

The mannequin let out a high pitched scream that echoed in the parking lot. When the fire and the scream faded, all that was left was a pile of hot ash, which was blown away with a gust of wind just as the class came running, having woken up the moment Morgani vanished. Then heard the commotion at the parking lot and were staring as the Senshi dispatched of their attacker.

"Sailor Senshi are real?"

"I thought it was a prank by those cheerleaders!"

"Wow! And there's another Senshi too!"

"Do you even know what that word means?"

"Erm..."

Callisto, Elara and Amalthea looked at each other. Then at the Moon Shadow Knight, only he was already gone.

"Hurry girls, before we're mobbed." Rinoa said quietly. Her eyes glowed brightly, and blinded the students long enough to allow the four of them the chance to get away and turn back in to their civilian form and join the group unnoticed.

"What's going on?" Annie asked one of her friends.

"We just saw the Sailor Senshi do away with a weird monster that had chased you down is what!" They replied.

* * *

><p>The town was abuzz with chatter about this newest form of excitement now, but many people were slightly disappointed that no one managed to get a shot of their local super heroes. But that wasn't what was being discussed in the command center at the arcade that weekend.<p>

"I can't believe you kept this from me, Hill!" Annie said. She wasn't upset, but still in shock.

"I told you, I couldn't tell anyone, not even you." Smiled Hillary as Christina put down a plate of broiled garlic chicken, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and two rolls each from the local bakery that was rather popular, on the table in front of each of them. And a small bowl of tuna juice down for Rinoa.

"Well, I'm just glad we got to you in time." Rinoa nodded.

"At least it's not like I have to hide any secrets anymore from you now." Hillary grinned at her sister. "Now we're both Senshi!"

"You always were Senshi, the awakening just happens at a different rate for each of us." Rinoa stated, drinking her juice with relish. Just because she was a guardian to these girls didn't mean she wasn't still a cat.

"So... We're all Sailor Senshi..." Christina looked at them, like she couldn't be happier. And it was true. Just a year ago, she couldn't even imagine that she'd be told she was a Sailor Senshi, one of the world's legendary guardians against evil. She still didn't believe Rinoa that she was a Princess as well, but at least there was proof in regards to their alternate identities.

"At least this has finally given this town something exciting to talk about." Hillary said, biting down on some of the broccoli and cauliflower.

"But why did it have to happen here?" Asked Annie.

"One cannot always explain away the extraordinary, but we must do what we can with our powers in fighting for truth and justice." Rinoa was now licking her paws and rubbing them on her face, having finished with her tuna juice.

The three girls looked at each other. While they all had their own extraordinary powers, they currently didn't feel any different than their classmates. But they knew that something had started could not be stopped, and they had to plow through whatever came their way.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

A few things about this story, as you know, it takes place in Okanogan, Washington. Which is a real place, look at a map of Washington State sometime, in the north central part. This story is rather personal to me on many levels. The two songs are original, took me about forty five minutes for the second, and 2 hours on the first to write. So nearly 3 hours alone on those songs.

For a little local history, the small mining town they visit called Ruby DID exist long ago, but it has NEVER been reopened or rebuilt as far as I know. The idea of it is more or less based off of Winthrop, a more historically correct western town about forty five minutes drive from Okanogan. And let me make another thing clear, I HATED living in Okanogan except for my family and few friends. Four hours one way to the nearest mall, and six hours another for the nearest oriental market.

The story takes place during 1994-ish, so that's why there aren't things like iPods, or CellPhones widely available yet. Those will come as the years go by in the story. This story is going to be rather personal for me, and lengthy. So even if updates may seem few and far in between right now, please bear with me guys.

Annie and Hillary Bellini are real people, these characters are inspired by two of my friends, as are upcoming Senshi. While Rinoa was based off of my cat that I grew up with and had for 16 long years. So these names, things and places aren't random. If you wanna do a bit of research on the Okanogan area, feel free! It's history is a little interesting, even if the town isn't all that exciting. But I think they'd get some extra revenue if they ever decided to rebuild/renew the town of Ruby. It's literally a ghost town right now, nothing's there anymore. So Ruby in this story is technically a remake of Winthrop, but closer and without having to go up a windy road in the mountains.

The only thing I've changed about these characters, is that they're not all religious or anything. I wanted to make it religion neutral, seeing as most of them except for three are LDS (Mormon). Don't get me wrong, guys, I'm Mormon personally. But I don't want anyone to be offended or whatever, so long ago we decided to make this story religion neutral like the original Sailor Moon story, so people in general can enjoy the story and not feel offended or attacked for their religion.

I hope you enjoy this story! As I said before, it's rather personal to me, and a few other people even if I'm no longer in touch with them. But back then, we visited and hung out whenever we could (Health and homework permitting).

Well, can't think of anything else. Onward to the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: **

**The Shadow Effect **

_Dear Diary, _

_Would you believe it if I said Hillary's sister turned out to be Sailor Amalthea? Another Sailor Scout! I can't believe it myself! This whole week has been one shock after another. And Annie and Hillary are so fun and sweet to be around. Why couldn't I get the gold and silver outfit, eh? I'm jealous, apart from purple, those are two of my favorite colors! _

_Rinoa's been tutoring me in my class subjects, and my spelling is improving a great deal according to my teachers. It's not like I can say 'Thanks, my cat is helping me out big time!'? They'd probably think I'm insane. _

_But something weirder than the usual brand of weird that follows us around happened while my group was in the mines at Ruby. It was like I had been pulled toward the back of the mine, where our guide was refusing to go. If not for Eric, I probably would have gone back there, and gotten lost. I saw a weird mist forming in the shadows... Is that normal? I could also see the face of a man in the mist. I haven't told anyone, I think it might unnerve Annie and Hillary, and I don't want to drive them away by this weirdness so soon after becoming such close friends. I felt like I'd be dragged in to the bowels of hell if I went in, but at the same time, I couldn't help myself, you know? _

_I wonder what it all means... first I have that dream the other day, now that happens. I hope being a Senshi isn't turning me insane or anything. Or maybe it's this town? There's NOTHING to do here on weekends, I swear! Luckily my aunt says there's a trip to Seattle coming up that should help with the stir-craziness. I've been saving what allowance I didn't spend on that tiger glass figure for it. I can't wait to go see the Oriental Market. _

_The only thing that's not improving is my math score, Rinoa's suggesting I might have a bit of a block where math is concerned, and I agree. If things don't improve, though, my aunt is considering putting me in the Special Ed. room... could you imagine? A Senshi in the Special Ed room? Well... I suppose if it helps me improve my scores in math I could bear with it. _

_Rinoa's been doing a lot of work in the Control Center when she's not helping me. I wonder what she's doing? We haven't found out who our enemy really is yet, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't concerned. What if they attack the school again? How would I be able to get away to transform without anyone noticing? _

_She also says that we shouldn't be so quick to trust the Moon Shadow Knight just yet because he might be an enemy. But how can that be? He's always been helpful to us, even if he doesn't say much. But she states that because of that, we don't know his true purpose, and he could very well be just biding his time. How can someone that good be an enemy? I just don't buy it. _

_My Uncle called the other day too! The oceans have been on the calm side luckily, and they've been able to get a lot of crab and lobster this year so far. Aunt Robin is constantly watching the weather reports on the television for the coast line. She says we might be able to catch Uncle Dan on one of his land-trips or whatever they're called for a meal or something. Did I mention before that he's the captain of his ship, the S.S. Marina? It's huge! I've seen it before. And if it weren't for the fact that I get sea sick a little too easily, I'd be on it a lot more than just once in a while, you know? _

_Better go, Rinoa's threatening to claw my face if I keep on procrastinating on my math homework today... _

_Christina. _

* * *

><p>There was nothing quite like having friends who shared the same secret with you and being able to experience the same thing together. For Christina, Hillary and Annie, the three of them could be seen in the Arcade with Rinoa discussing ways in which the enemy could attack, or how the next Senshi would be revealed. But no one could really know, as each time it had been slightly different in both cases.<p>

"Now, my sources have told me that she is younger than you three," Rinoa was saying. "And will be at your school soon."

"Hey, the new middle school class for next year is getting an early tour of the high school... Maybe she'll be in that group?" Hillary suddenly remembered.

"But that's way too young to be a Senshi! That would make her only thirteen if she's younger than us. I mean... you and I are fifteen, and Annie is what, sixteen?" Christina said in alarm.

"For a Senshi, your current age has little meaning." Rinoa stated.

"But we don't want this girl to be scarred for life if the enemy finds her before we do. You know?" Annie was on Christina's side on this matter. "How do we find her before the enemy does if she's going to be with a class of thirteen year olds?"

There was a long, thoughtful silence... Then-

"I've got it!" Rinoa said suddenly, and her amber eyes flashed, nearly blinding them all. When the light faded, what looked like a laptop computer had appeared on the table in front of Hillary, small and compact but with everything she'd need. This laptop was red, with the symbol of the triangle for Elara on the front center where normally the Apple sign would be. "You'll be able to narrow it down to our Senshi friend, in the meantime, Christina, I want you to have this-" They hadn't noticed a second object at Rinoa's feet.

It was another transformation pen. This one was glittering spring green, while the secondary color was ultramarine. The symbol in the center of the golden yellow star cap of the pen was a 'v' with extended ends at the top, and two lines, one two millimeters long, the other one a millimeter long just above the v symbol.

Morgani had not returned to the mansion outside of town, instead, she had her own place set up arranged overnight in town, and followed one of the teachers home. She'd done her research over the last several days on this school, and found the one class with the concentration of the most Power was the Astronomy class in the afternoon. If she was to prove anything to Rubiella and the others, she had to do something more. So she waited until the Astronomy class was empty to ambush the teacher. The teacher was a woman with curly, vibrant ginger hair known to her students simply as Mrs. Hauna. She was larger around the middle, and had a great sense of humor and sarcasm that her students loved. It didn't take Morgani much to overcome the teacher, forcing her in to a deep sleep before hiding the teacher in a closet in her office.

No one noticed the change, though, that day except when Christina shook Mrs. Hauna's hand, wondering if it had always been that cold. Today they were covering the legends of the Goddess of Death, who was supposedly the daughter of Zeus and Hera, chosen by her uncle Hades, ruler of the underworld, to aide in the ferrying of spirits to the spirit world. She normally appeared near the end of an Age of the Earth, or at the beginning of a great war, when much in the way of death would occur. She was as feared and respected as her cousin, the Goddess of Destruction.

"But Mrs. Hauna," Christina raised up her hand.

"Yes, Miss Bartell?" Blinked the teacher.

"Why is there both a Goddess of Destruction and a Goddess of Death? Aren't the two stages technically the same?" She prompted, earning many curious stares from her classmates, for once not stared of unearned hate and fear.

"Not necessarily, Miss Bartell. You see, in the Gods eyes, Death and Destruction can be two separate things, or entities in the case of this tale. Destruction is but the first step that leads to death, and death involves the actual killing or dying of human beings and the creatures of this world." Mrs. Hauna shook her head. "It is as such that Death can be more feared and respected than Destruction, for while destruction is terrible in its own right, many times, rebirth and reconstruction follow suit. A starting over, as you will. However... With death, comes but the end of one or many lives. That was why, in many of our legends, if the Goddess of Death accompanied the Goddess of Destruction, it was a moment of fear and chaos until it all ended."

The class was utterly silent as the teacher explained the difference between the two. Christina couldn't imagine what that responsibility would be like, having the fear and stigma about you the moment you arrived, knowing that you were the last sign before it all ended. Being prejudged because you were the one who ferried the souls to the Underworld, where Hades awaited to judge you upon your life and what you did with it.

* * *

><p>"You ok? You're rather quiet today." Hillary said.<p>

They were in pairs, outside that day, supposed to be sketching the different kinds of leaves on the trees around the school grounds for their biology class.

"We're supposed to be looking for the Goddess of Death, right?" Christina finally broke her own musing silence.

"Yeah, that's what Rinoa told us." Nodded Hillary as she switched pencils from her red pencil case and started adding in the details of the leaves.

"I wonder if it's true what we learned in Mythology class... that the Goddess of Death was the signal of the end of days..." Christina went on. She was beginning to wonder why they were searching for this Goddess, if it meant something terrible was going to stop, and there wasn't anything to do about it.

"We'll have to ask her after school." Hillary said as their biology teacher came over to check on their progress.

"Ah, well done so far ladies... Keep at it." The teacher said before moving on to the next pair.

"I almost wouldn't want to be found, if it were me." Christina shrugged, turning to a blank page on her sketchbook, and picking up her pencil again while Hillary helped pick a new tree with different kinds of leaves on it- a maple tree this time.

* * *

><p>Morgani in Mrs. Hauna's form had a free period, and was watching the biology class from her window. She had a good view of the grounds, which included a baseball field and a rather large soccer and football field, surrounded by a red running track. Around the edge it was lined with trees on the far end, and silver and gray metal bleachers closer to the school. There were goal posts on either side of the football field, while the soccer goal posts were currently put away. The diamond field for baseball was on the side with its own set of bleachers. Morgani was interested in that girl who had questioned her during the class. She'd felt a spark go through her hand that she only felt from one who was blessed by the stars with power. Yet this spark was different than any other.<p>

Quite suddenly, the lights in the classroom flickered off and she felt the presence of one of her comrades.

"Rubiella grows impatient with you, Morgani." Wolfani warned, his eyes narrowed as he stared at her back.

She didn't need to look back at him, she could see his reflection in the window pane.

"You were given your last chance, and yet you still haven't returned..." He continued. He vanished, and reappeared right next to her. "What is it that is so intriguing to you?"

"Those two human girls." Morgani pointed out Christina and Hillary to him. "The one in purple has a strange aura about her. The other, I'm certain is a Sailor Senshi."

"Ah. And what are you going to do about it? Our Mistress wants them out of our way, you know." Sneered Wolfani.

"I am well aware of it, and what I do to get rid of them is none of your concern, so long as I get the job done." At this, Morgani's temper flared, she snapped, and turned away from the window on her heel.

Wolfani sidestepped her quickly and stopped her in her rather stormy path.

"Just keep in mind that if you fail, this time she might not be so forgiving of you, Morgani." His face was right up close to hers, his eyes narrowed in seriousness and concern as he spoke to her. "You remember who her mother was... Yes?" He paused, Morgani gave a rather resentful nod. "Then do not be so careless as to act too soon this time like you did at the mining town." He ran a finger across her cheek, down to her chin.

"You are only concerned about me because if I fail and I am killed, then you will be next in line. But if I succeed, then you won't get the reward offered to the one who gains victory in this war." She snarled.

Wolfani looked stung by this proclamation.

"That is not the only reason why I follow..." He murmured. There was a long silence as he stared in to her eyes with his own, as though trying desperately to get across something deeply important to him without actually having to say it.

Morgani blinked rapidly, not understanding what he was obviously trying to say. And he seemed to understand that she didn't get it, because he pulled away. But she did understand one thing... he wasn't one of the bad guys, at least where she was concerned.

"If you need any assistance, let me know." Wolfani bowed to her briefly.

"I will." She assured him.

A small smile of something reminiscent of satisfaction flickered across his pale face, before he vanished and the lights returned to their normal state in that classroom.

It was a strange thing, feeling so confused. Wondering what these feelings were that she felt for Wolfani. She frowned, and in the form of Mrs. Hauna, kicked the nearest student's desk. Before taking a breath, and turning to face the rest of her day.

* * *

><p>It had been days since the last attack, and that worried Rinoa. She listened to Christina's question about the teacher, Mrs. Hauna, and what she had been talking about in the class lately.<p>

"It could seriously get her in to trouble if the school super intendants were to find out... I mean, all this talk about the Goddess of Death has got a lot of people on edge at the school." Christina was saying through a mouthful of salad- Annie had brought a big salad bowl from home that late afternoon for something healthy.

"There might be something more to this than meets the eye." Rinoa said thoughtfully.

"What, you saying Mrs. Hauna's with the enemy too? Rinoa, I think you're going wacko on us." Hillary shook her head in disbelief. "Mrs. Hauna's always been a bit off her rocker, but she's also always been well loved by us."

"But has she always been so focussed on the Goddess of Death?" Prompted Rinoa.

"Well..." Hillary looked at Christina, who shrugged, her mouth currently full of lettuce and spinach.

"Just keep an eye on her. You were saying earlier that next years freshman middle school class is having a tour of the high school on Friday?" Rinoa looked at the girls, who nodded. "Keep an eye on them. All my sources are indicating that our next Senshi will be in that group, if all goes well, we'll be able to get to her before the enemy does this time."

"Yeah, but how will be able to get through to her?" Asked Annie. "It's not like we can go up to any random girl student and say 'hi! We're the Sailor Senshi, do you have any unusual powers or had any strange incidences since you were born?'"

At this Hillary and Christina couldn't help themselves as they giggled like mad, earning a reproachful glare from Rinoa.

"We'll have to keep an eye on them. Hillary, you can do a scan of the class with your computer. Just act inconspicuously, you know?" Rinoa said. "Just pretend to be looking something up on your laptop."

"Considering laptops aren't real popular or common yet, how am I gonna do all that inconspicuously without getting odd questions about the computer itself from my classmates? It's not like my mom and dad can afford that kind of technology right now." Hillary remembered that little fact.

"Don't worry about that, I'll take care of any questions people might have." Rinoa said.

"You know, I am curious about the kind of magic you have. Why is it so different from ours?" Asked Christina.

"Moving on-" Rinoa changed the subject as she so often did when the source of her powers and where she came up was brought up by any of the girls.

* * *

><p>It had been a busy evening for Eric, but when he was finally let off, he saw Christina, Hillary, Annie and Christina's cat Rinoa coming from their favorite corner of the Arcade where the pinball machines were at.<p>

"Hello ladies," He waved.

"Hi Eric!" Christina said brightly.

"Ooh, I didn't know cutie was working here." Annie eyed Eric, who was without his work apron now that he was off work. "He a friend of yours?" She asked Christina.

"You could say that." Eric went over to the three as Rinoa meowed at him. "I've known Christi since we were in elementary school."

"Christi huh?" Hillary grinned at the nickname.

"I've told you not to call me that!" Christina said in annoyance.

"Awe, come on, it's cute!" Annie said at once. "Much easier than saying Christina all the time!"

Thus, she earned a glare from Christina when at the same moment, her aunt came in to the arcade.

"Ah, so these are the friends you've been telling me so much about!" Robin smiled .

"Hello Mrs...erm..." Hillary realized she hadn't asked Robin her last name yet. Just because she was Christina's Aunt, that didn't mean she would have the same last name.

"It's Bartell. My husband was the brother of Christina's mom." Robin said kindly to Hillary. "You must be Hillary and Annie?" She looked at the two girls with burnt ochre hair that was incredibly curly, almost like a perm. And their unusual amber eyes. "And you, young man are Eric? Christina's said a lot about you."

"Auntie!" Christina's voice was rather high in her embarrassment.

"A lot about us?" Blinked Eric.

"Don't worry, nothing bad!" Robin gave a light laugh. "She's rather fond of you all! Well, time to head home, Christina. I'll give you a few minutes to say goodbye."

Robin smiled again at Christina's friends, before turning to go back to the van parked just outside.

"See you at school," Eric waved with a grin, and he didn't see Christina's face going brilliant magenta.

"Christi, you are such a flirt with him!" Annie giggled like mad.

"I am not!" Christina's voice went up again in her denial.

"Remember, keep in touch you two." Rinoa said quietly.

"Right. See you tomorrow." The two sisters waved as Christina and Rinoa left.

* * *

><p>As Christina's aunt pulled away from the arcade building, they drove past Eric, who lived in town, and Robin blared the horn of the van at him, causing Christina's face to burn again, and she was ever grateful that the windows of the van were tinted, so no one could see who was in it. And thus, he wouldn't see how embarrassed she was.<p>

Eric got a chuckle out of the van that passed, having guessed who was in it, and could only imagine how Christina would be reacting. While he'd known Christina since elementary, he rarely met anyone from her family. So he was glad that he'd finally been able to meet her Aunt at least. But he couldn't help but feel that Christina was keeping some sort of secret from him, her and her two new friends had some sort of life outside of school and the arcade, he was sure of it. He just didn't know what.

When he got home, his mother had dinner waiting in the oven for him since his father was going to be late for maintenance at the arcade that day. So after pulling out the tray for his meal to be on his lap in the living room, he carried it with a glass of water to his favorite chair in the living room, watching the evening news coverage.

"And tonight, we have more on that ever popular up and coming self proclaimed Champion of Justice, Sailor Callisto. We go live to Nadine Wright for more."

Christina and her aunt were both watching that same news broadcast, and Rinoa- who was curled up by the fireplace like a calico rug, perked her ears and looked over at the television when the newscaster mentioned Sailor Callisto.

"Thanks Dave." The woman with pale skin, short black hair, and gunmetal gray eyes said. "The young woman we've come to know over these past few weeks is quite the enigma, only showing up when the strange and the violent occur. Her first appearance was almost exactly two weeks ago today here at the Okanogan Jewelry Store on Main Street. The store owners insist that while there was a little bit of damage, the masked heroine had done what she could to make sure there were no casualties. And now it seems that there are two of these so called 'Sailor Soldiers' or 'Senshi' as they call themselves that have joined her in her apparent quest to protect this town from the unknown source that has threatened it. The trio of Senshi, Sailors Callisto, Elara and Amalthea are gaining attention from this little town the more they appear, yet we still do not know much about them. Except for what they stand for- truth and justice."

As Nadine had spoken, the screen showed the few images of the Sailor Senshi with Callisto still wearing her mask. Christina had almost forgotten she had it, even though she wore it whenever she transformed in to Sailor Callisto. She also noticed how good she actually looked with the waist length hair, and vaguely thought about growing it out.

"They all look so young to be fighting for justice in a small, backwater town." Robin commented through her home-made Japanese food- since there wasn't a reliable Japanese take-out in Okanogan. "I wonder if they're some new prodigy of the police force that's going on a test run or something?"

Christina nearly choked on her leeks, bean sprouts and water chestnuts that she'd speared on her fork just moments ago at her Aunt's comment. Luckily that action went unnoticed by her aunt, who was rather absorbed in both her own plate, and the news on the television. The Senshi working with the government police force? That was an almost laughable idea in and of itself. While they were just starting out on their journey, Christina had felt for a while now that what she and her friends were dealing with was on a scale well above normal police, FBI or CIA work. She looked up at the screen to see Nadine talking again, nearing the end of her article.

"Only time will be able to tell us what these mysterious young ladies are really up to, and who the good guys are. But for now, I think it's safe to say that this town has its own brand of justice that comes in a rainbow of colors bringing some much needed life and excitement to the area. Back to you, Dave." Nadine said with a satisfied smile and knowledgeable look in her gray eyes.

"Thank you Nadine, and now over to Tom for the weather, how long is this storm system gonna hang around, Tom?" Dave asked.

At this, Christina tuned out as she ate the last few bites of her dinner.

"Got any homework to do today?" Robin asked as Tom the weatherman gave the forecast of a typical fall week, with storms nearly every day and spots of sunshine here and there.

"Yeah, a nasty essay for Civil War, and I'm still trying to read that book on the battle of the Little Bighorn... It's hard." Christina swallowed the last of her meal. "It's like they're talking in a different language... and all the racism and such. It's tricky working around it... and I've still gotta write a ten page essay on it by the end of the month." She groaned in misery.

"Well, it is about a different time period, so I can understand how it can be difficult. Just keep plugging away at it. It's an important part in history, especially for the Pacific Northwest." Nodded Robin reassuringly.

"I just can't imagine what that must've been like... being in that endless field, seeing people dropping dead left and right, and knowing you weren't going to get rescued? It must've been horrible..." Christina shook her head, taking her plate and now empty glass to the kitchen where she washed them, then put them in the dishwasher for her Aunt before grabbing some kiki raspberry juice. "I'm going to my room... homework is calling."

"That's juice and not soda, right?" Robin eyed the glass of pink liquid suspiciously.

"Yes, check the juice container if you're not trusting." Christina said with a light air of annoyance but keeping it friendly all the same before smiling, waving and heading upstairs to her bedroom, Rinoa silently at her heels like a small shadow.

But once Christina got up to her room, she stared at the pile of homework on her desk rather despondently, and reluctantly sat down. She didn't immediately get to work today, and pretended for a long time to be organizing her papers and books until Rinoa spoke up.

"Stop playing around, and get to work Christina." Said the cat.

"You just love ordering me around, don't you?" She grumbled.

"Well, being your legal guardian from the Silver Millennium does have it's compensations." Grinned the cat, her amber eyes narrowed in warning.

"I don't wanna do my homework though... there's too much." Christina crossed her arms in defiance.

"It's your own grave you're digging, Christina, if you don't really want to face both my wrath and that of your Aunt's, I suggest you get to work." Rinoa said casually, but there was a bite of impatience in her voice now.

"If I'm supposed to be a Sailor Senshi then why do I have to deal with this crap too?" This sentence burst out of Christina before she could stop herself.

"Because, you need to know the world you are protecting. You need to learn all you can, so you can know how to protect it. And it might provide a clue as to where our Goddess is, and the Crystal. We need to check every corner, every stone and make sure none go unturned in our search." Rinoa decided to talk her ears off in order to get her to cooperate since she was fighting the short responses each and every time. "You might find something relevant to our cause, even in something as lame as school work."

Christina stared at Rinoa as though she would rather have drank poison than do all of this homework that was laid before her. But she finally resigned herself to the worst, and pulled towards her her English textbook, notebook and black ink pen and got to work while Rinoa oversaw that she was actually working, and not just pretending.

Rinoa thought it was important that she took more of a hands-on approach with Christina, who lost her parents when she was still a child. If she did, then it might get Christina to be more accepting of her role, and possible future role, in life.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth Sheppard was thirteen years old, but to anyone who would listen, she'd tell them that in a few months time, she'd be fourteen and getting ready to leave elementary school for good. She couldn't wait, and with her skills in sports and the academics- mainly astronomy and chemistry-, she was certain that she'd find a niche in the school. She had shoulder length platinum blond hair with her bangs usually kept back in a blue headband that matched her rather unusual deep ultramarine blue eyes. She was small and scrawny, even for her age, and even though she was quite active in her life, she was rather quiet and shy, something that her older sister by nearly three years- Cathy Sheppard- was constantly trying to change about her.<p>

She was currently listening to some rather dramatic Anime soundtrack music as she worked on her Astronomy homework that afternoon. The music of which boomed in what she called 'her little corner of the house' as it swelled with drums, guitar and a full orchestra. It reminded her of a dramatic moment in an imperial history, where something that was happening was changing, and for the better.

As she marked all the moons of Jupiter on her Jovian Lunar Map that she'd been assigned, she paused, looking at the dot that represented Leda. Her mind had temporarily gone blank on the mythological history behind it, but that wasn't important so she gave a mental shrug, wrote down the moon's name, and moved onward to the next moon. Soon she had named not only Leda, but Lysithea, Callisto, Elara, Amalthea, Ganeymede, Sinistra and Chaldene. There were so many moons of Jupiter, it was tricky to keep track of them all, but since there were three rising celebrities named after three of the moons of Jupiter, it was at least a little easier to pick out those on the map.

There was a banging on her bedroom door, and a very annoyed Cathy came in, walked over, and turned down the volume on her sterio.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" Elizabeth protested.

Cathy raised a platinum blond eyebrow at her sister. Unlike Elizabeth, Cathy had wild looking bangs that looked like she rarely spent any time taming them, her shoulder length blond hair was held back not in a headband, but in a double French braid that she was known for in her class. She was tall compared to her sister, with a tan, and long arms and legs.

"Well, you can turn the volume on that down, Lizzie. I'm trying to do homework too, but I can't concentrate with you blasting your racket so loud that it brings down the house!" Cathy said, to which she received a very rude and annoyed raspberry from her sister.

"I need my music to concentrate. Unlike you, my astronomy project isn't halfway done. Look at this nightmare." She shoved the Jovian Lunar Map under Cathy's nose. "Tell me you wouldn't want a distraction of that kind over this."

"Fair point, sis." Cathy said. "And that one's Thebes, not Themestio." She added, to help her sister out, at least a little bit, pointing to a dot on the map.

"Oh, right." Elizabeth was glad she was doing this in pencil first.

"Everything going all right in here?" Their mother poked her head in to her youngest daughter's room.

"No worries, just asking Lizzie here to turn down the tunes a little." Smiled Cathy, remembering the last time they'd been caught fighting. She decided to talk before Elizabeth could get a say and make a scene about it.

Carlene Sheppard was the grown up image of her daughters, with the same platinum blond hair, deep blue eyes, and tanned skin, she was strict with them, but still loved. She was divorced from her husband of nearly twenty years, the divorce occurred five years ago, and was glad that her daughters seemed to have adjusted well. Especially since they still got to see their father on weekends and on certain holidays, like birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It had not been a nasty divorce, but one that was inevitable, due to the fact that the marriage just didn't work for them anymore and their lives were so different.

So Carlene raised the two girls on her own for the most part, for the last five years. While the girls often quarreled over the smallest of things, they were still sisters and close friends. Carlene yawned and left the two girls to their business as the argument started all over again.

* * *

><p>Friday morning arrived, and Christina was to be found yawning in her corner of the cafeteria of the school while she waited for her friends. She'd stayed up late trying to finish her essay every night that week, and only finished it at eleven p.m. the previous night. She was looking forward to that weekend when she and her aunt would be making a trip to Spokane, Rinoa having used her own brand of mysterious magic to convince Robin to take her with them in case something happened. But on the other hand, there was a nasty math test that day.<p>

"The worst way to end the week..." She grumbled.

"Come on, Rinoa's been tutoring you, hasn't she?" Annie asked during break. "How bad can you be?"

"Her Aunt is thinking about putting her in the Special Ed. Room if she doesn't improve." Hillary piped up before Christina could stop her.

"Thanks a lot, blabbermouth." Christina sulked.

"What?" Blinked Annie.

"If I don't get at least a C in math on this test... It's to THAT room I go. I've been having problems with math since Elementary. I just don't see the point of it anymore!" Christina sniffed.

"Come on, it's not gonna be that bad..." Annie said bracingly as one of the groups of Christina's least favorite people walked by.

"You're KIDDING? We might actually be getting rid of you in math soon, Bartell?" Audrey half shouted, not bothering to keep her voice down in her glee in front of her friends. "Well, I'm keeping my hopes up for a weekend miracle here. You suck at Math anyways."

"Leave her alone, Audrey." It wasn't Annie or Hillary who spoke up, though both were looking outraged at Audrey's nastiness, but Eric. "There's nothing wrong with needing some extra help in studies. I notice you as of late have yet to pass that Biology test with more than a D."

Christina's face went brilliant magenta and she couldn't help herself as she felt un-explainably giddy at the fact that the guy she had a secret crush on was sticking up for her. She had the fleeting thought then that maybe he and Moon Shadow Knight were one in the same... But that was crazy. The hot arcade guy who's always been nice to her and stuck up for her, the same masked gentleman in the white Arabian cloak who saves her butt on a regular occasion?

_Yeah right..._She thought as Audrey stalked off with her friends once Eric shooed them away. _They might both be hot blondes and sweet as can be towards me... But what chance is there really that Eric is the Moon Shadow Knight? He's working at the Arcade and doesn't have time to go masquerading around as an Arabian Knight! _

"Hey, Christi-" Eric turned around, and Christina felt her heart jump a little again at the nickname. "-I know this Rinoa person sounds cool and all, if she's helping tutor you in math... But if you ever need some extra help, I'm the top in my Algebra class." He said.

Right as she was about to answer, the first warning bell rang for class.

"Ack! We gotta go, Christina!" Hillary shrieked, having been watching with a grin on her face. "We'll see you guys later!" And Hillary grabbed Christina's arm just as she snatched up her math books, notebooks, mechanical pencils, and erasers from her locker. Annie took the liberty of slamming hers shut for her before heading off to choir practice.

* * *

><p>At lunch time, the elementary students from the school several blocks down were seen entering the school for the tour.<p>

Christina was sulking at her seat, while Annie tried to console her that she hadn't done as badly as she thought. she did and that all would be fine.

Hillary, meantime, was typing on her new laptop computer as the group of students joined the empty half of the cafeteria for lunch before going on the tour of the school. Hillary was amazed that no one looked twice at the state-of-the-art crimson red laptop with her Senshi Symbol on it, just as Rinoa said they wouldn't. She was currently running a scan of all of the younger students sitting at the table, but so far none of them appeared to have the 'qualities' Rinoa was looking for in a Senshi.

"Oh, by the way, since I'm gonna be out of town, in case something should happen Hillary, you mind holding on to this?" Christina held out the spring green colored transformation pen Rinoa gave her for the new Senshi. "Give it to the girl if she awakens while I'm gone, and all that. Seems stupid for me to take this with me while I'm in Spokane. Knowing me, I'd probably loose it."

Hillary took the pen, blinking at it. Wondering what kind of Senshi would have those colors.

* * *

><p>Elizabeth was sitting with her friends, discussing the latest gossip on their town's biggest celebrities- Sailors Callisto, Elara and Amalthea.<p>

"Wouldn't it be so cool to meet them someday?" Said her best friend, Amanda Bergman. She had flaming red hair, more freckles than one could count, and multicolored eyes- the right blue, and the left green.

"I think I'd faint!" Said Elizabeth rather dreamily.

"Who do you like more? I love Callisto! Her outfit is so cool." Amanda sighed. "She reminds me of some of the Japanese School uniforms or something!"

"You've done research on that?" Blinked another at their table.

"Oh yeah, nodded Amanda. "Sailor V apparently had an outfit similar to Callisto's before she disappeared from the lime light. I wonder if Callisto is like... a little sister of V or something?"

* * *

><p>Nearby, Christina choked on her plate at the gossip noise that was drifting over.<p>

"Hey, we're celebrities now, gotta get used to them talking about us." Whispered Annie matter-of-factly. "Didja see that news article about us the other night?"

Hillary and Christina couldn't help but giggle like mad.

They didn't notice Eric glancing over at the trio. Could it be they were the Sailor Senshi everyone was gabbing about? After all, Annie and Hillary had the same shade of color in hair as Amalthea and Elara. But Sailor Callisto's hair was much longer than Christina's. Though it did seem as though Christina was starting to grow out her hair more these days than she ever did in the past. It was now almost to the middle of her back instead of just being shoulder length.

"Hey, Eric, quit ogling and pay attention!" One of his friends smacked him in the back of his head, nearly making him drop his carton of milk.

"Cut it out, Jon!" Snapped Eric.

"Well, you were the one ogling that weird girl, not me. Honestly, I don't know what you see in her." Huffed Jon.

"I wasn't ogling!" Eric protested, and quickly changed the subject when he saw the smirks on his friends' faces, and 'yeah, right' expressions they were giving him.

* * *

><p>"So, found any prospects yet?" Christina said, leaning over to see Hillary's computer.<p>

"No. No reactions on the computer. I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be looking for in regards to our friend, you know? Rinoa didn't explain much about the computer." Hillary admitted, feeling rather embarrassed at this. "Oh, I give up... I can't figure out how to work this thing!" She burst out suddenly, closing the laptop just as something lit up spring green, but made no beeping noise at her, so neither of them noticed as she shoved the laptop in to her backpack to get to her own lunch. "I'm gonna have to have a sit down this weekend to really figure it out, THEN try another scan."

After school, Christina saw her aunt's mini van waiting in the pick up line at the parking lot for her.

"See you when you get back!" Hillary called, waving.

"Get us souvenirs!" Annie said rather shamelessly.

Christina waved as she got in to the van- which she noticed was already packed for the road trip. She had packed her things for herself the night before. Rinoa sat on her lap quite comfortably as they drove past Eric and his friends.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Eric, looking like your girlfriend is going out on a mini vacation this weekend." Jon pointed out the fully packed mini van with enough things to last a few days for each person and a cat.<p>

Eric blinked, then waved at Christina when they met eye to eye for a moment, and she waved back just as the red mini van pulled away from the school.

* * *

><p>"That was that nice boy again, yes?" Robin grinned. "Maybe he'll ask you out for Valentine's Day this year!"<p>

"Auntie!" Christina's face went bright red at the thought, and Rinoa had to fight hard to hold back her own laughter at her charge's embarrassment.

"Come on, we'll get something to eat for the road at Save Mart, and head out." Robin chuckled.

Once they were on the road, Christina put on her CD Player, and headphones to her current favorite song while she snacked on some chips and pretzels.

"_Hey, look up now, _

_The blossoms from the tree are so delicate._

_The wind blowing through the tree,_

_Sending petals all around. _

_Don't you worry, _

_I'll hold you close. _

_The wind blows in the violent storm, _

_Dark clouds swirling all around._

_Don't worry about a thing, _

_God is watching over all of us. _

_The ray of light, from the chosen one._

_The wind and clouds cannot damage your persona,_

_Your will is so strong, you will persevere._

_The fire from within, brings out your pure light. _

_Hey look up now,_

_I can see your light. _

_Don't you worry now, _

_I am here for you. _

_Hey look up now,_

_The fire that shines so bright_

_In the end, it's all ok. _

_Catching one of the many petals in my hand, _

_I wonder at how very soft it is. _

_Can fate truly be this chaotic?_

_I let the petal go with the wind, _

_Wondering where it will fall, _

_When thunder crashes all around us, the storm persisting to drown us. _

_The drops of rain that start to fall, the forces of nature, _

_Envelop us all at once, nothing else matters. _

_That single ray of hope, captured by the wind. _

_I look forward now, _

_I've let go of it. _

_I can move on now, _

_We can embrace it._

_I can feel it now, _

_There's no stopping it. _

_The fire from within brings your pure light._

_The ray of light from the chosen one, _

_The forces of nature could not and will not ever break you, _

_Your will is so strong, you will persevere. _

_The single ray of hope, shared by us all. _

_I'll look forward now, _

_I've let go of it. _

_I can move on with you now,_

_Let's embrace this night._

_I can feel it now, _

_There's no stopping it. _

_The fire from within, shared by all_."

By the time the song was halfway done, Christina's eyes had drooped. There was something about being in the car that she did not like, and the music helped lull her in to a sleeping mode even though it was only four in the afternoon, while Rinoa curled up on her lap now that it was free of junk food and snacks.

As she faded in to the realm of sleep, everything went black, then she started dreaming. She knew she was dreaming, but it felt so real to her...

_There was the screeching of tires, the exploding crunch of metal and car parts. She could smell the blood, the fear. Yet she wasn't scared. Death was something strangely welcome to her. She was trapped in her car seat, unable to wriggle free as fire erupted around her. Yet the fire didn't encase her as it did her mother and father. It tickled her, and she laughed. _

_ She saw a hand reaching down, directly through the tickling flames, pulling her out of her entrapment. It wasn't either of her parents, who had played this wonderful trick on her. But someone she knew nonetheless. She giggled, reaching out to touch the face of this figure, cloaked in a shadow of blackness among the flames and blood around her. She couldn't see his face except for the eyes, which were the deep blood red of the depths of hell. His hair was dark as well, and the tail-coat he wore flapped around in a fierce breeze. _

_ "Dear child..." He said kindly. She was the only one he was ever kind to. His favorite niece. He would protect her in her moment of need like this. Not something most mankind would expect from him, but she was his favorite. And he had the power to bend space and time for her should she choose to ask it of him. Yet she was still too young... much too young for her true awakening. _

_ The man set her down, away from the car wreckage, making it look- with great ease- as though she'd been flung from the car during the collision with the drunk driver. There was no saving her parents... It was already too late, and they had done their role well up until this point. He would guide their sweet souls to their resting place in the end, once he was sure the police were there to take care of his niece. _

_ He stood there, a silent, dark silhouette among the burning carnage as the child began to cry and scream as what happened hit her. She clung to him, wanting to go where he went. He saved her, surely he was good? _

_ Then there was the wail of the sirens from the ambulance and police cars, and she was clutching to mid-air. He could only be out of his realm for so long, thus could not afford to be caught by the authorities. She was the only one who ever saw the good in him... _

_ There was a flash of light. She was again standing in the lake of water lilies, and at the far end was the tall gate, and a figure who's face was hidden by the form of the giant, spectral three headed dog. Green eyes looked down on her. _

_ "It is not time for your true awakening yet." The deep, feminine voice that reminded her of someone said. _

_ "Wait! Who are you? Why do I keep seeing you!" She shouted back as she started flying backwards, away from the shadowy woman and her bizarre companion. _

"Christi, Christi?" Robin's voice called out to her niece. "Dreaming again, are we sweetie?" She smiled once her niece sat up, looking rather groggy and tired, the ear phones having long since fallen out of her ears, with the CD having stopped at least an hour ago.

"Hnn?" Christina mumbled, rubbing her eyes. It was still light out, but it looked as though they were getting close to Spokane.

"You were talking in your sleep, too. You never used to do that before." Robin commented, looking worried.

"Auntie, have you ever heard of a giant three headed dog guarding a giant door?" Christina asked, and at that, Rinoa's ears perked up in great interest.

"Well, there is the legend of a huge three headed dog beast named Cerberus. He supposedly lives in Hades, where he guards the Gates of Passage in to the Underworld, with his keeper." Robin replied. "No one in the living world has ever seen it though."

"And what about this keeper? Does anyone know what she looks like?" Christina went on, surprised that her aunt was so well adversed in Roman and Greek Mythology.

"Nope, no one's even sure if it's a she. What makes you say that it is?"

"Oh... Just a feeling I had." Shrugged Christina rather casually, not mentioning the image that had been plaguing her dreams since she became a Sailor Senshi. And so far, she'd been successful in keeping her alternative lifestyle a secret from her family, and Eric.

Rinoa looked up at Christina curiously, deep in thought. If Christina was remembering her... And Cerberus... what could it mean? Was the time for their mission running out? This worried Rinoa, who lowered her head and pretended to be taking a nap for the next hour and a half, while Robin drove up to the hotel, made sure things were still in order for their favorite room at the top, then Christina nudged her cat to get her to move while they grabbed their traveling bags and- in Christina's case, her backpack as well.

Rinoa trotted alongside them as they got in to the sleek elevator that played some rather quirky elevator music, before they got to the tenth floor of the hotel, and Robin started searching for their room.

"We'll go to the mall first thing tomorrow. Ok?" Robin said once the door was shut closed. "Right now I'm beat. I've had a long day of it."

The hotel room they were in actually consisted of two rooms, the larger one for Robin, the other for Christina and Rinoa. And the room they'd just walked in to was the common room with a table by the window that overlooked the city, and two comfy looking armchairs.

* * *

><p>"<em>Summanus...<em>" _A voice called out to him. He turned... _

_ Eric blinked. Someone had just called out the strangest name... Summanus? The name was unfamiliar, but the voice was. Where had he heard it before? He had just left work for that evening, it having been rather quiet since Christina was off to Spokane for the weekend. For a split second, he saw the female silhouette with dark hair- he couldn't see what color it was, apart from the fact that it was dark- that went just beyond her waist reaching out to him. But she was fading. _

_ He reached out to her trying to find her hand to grasp it as she slowly disappeared. _

_ "Summanus... Save me..." The voice called out to him again, sounding farther away. _

_ "Wait! Who are you?" He shouted. He then realized what he was wearing- The white outfit of an Arabian Knight, the one that the town gabbed about whenever the so called Moon Shadow Knight appeared to save Sailor Callisto. "Wait... Could you be...?" He looked up. In that instance, everything had changed. He was in an endless, fathomless lake, waist deep, the white cloak floating around him. There was no wind, no breeze. So what was making the water move? He noticed the lilies that surrounded him. Then he saw the gate. There was a young woman standing in front of it, looking at the figure who was accompanied by the strangest dog he'd ever seen- giant with three massive heads. _

_ But he looked at the girl standing a short ways in front of him. _

_ She had shoulder-length dark chocolate brown hair, yet he knew that posture from anywhere. What was Christina doing here? Then he heard her calling out to the figure in front of the gate. _

_ "Who are you? Why do you keep bringing me here?" She cried. _

_ He blinked. Was he seeing something he shouldn't be? Why did he have this connection to her? She was gone for two days, he wouldn't be able to ask her about the vision. _

_ "Christina-" He said her name. He'd called that ever since he met her. Yet... It didn't sound right for her. Who was she, really? What was her real name, her real identity? _

_ Another voice came from somewhere behind him. _

_ "To be so intertwined with the Goddess of Death, yet not be able to reach her... You have not been fully awakened, Summanus." This voice was male, and again strangely familiar. "Your time will come, and then you will remember everything." _

_ There was a flash, a blast of fire that threatened to engulf everything, including Christina, who still had her back to him. No... He had to protect her! He ran over, covered her with his cloak as the fire roared and raged around them... _

He woke with a start, sweating, panting as though he'd just run a marathon. _To be so intertwined with the Goddess of Death..._ He'd heard all of that before from somewhere. It took him a few moments to realize he was still in his bedroom. His parents were out cold, they would not have heard him shouting in his sleep.

He stood up out of bed, still just in his boxer shorts, and walked over to the window. The small town was quiet, and dark. Barely anyone else was awake at the moment.

_Your time will come. And then you will remember everything... _

He shook his head like an injured dog. What if he didn't want to remember? What if he wanted to stay like this, with his family, trying every day to win over the girl at school, even when she haunted his dreams disguised as the Goddess of Death, or haunted by the Goddess of Death. It was hard to tell what he had witnessed then. And yet... even with all these things running through his head, there was something else nagging at him. Who had been the source of that male voice? It reminded him of a brother, or father figure from long ago. Someone who was a role model to him, he'd been close to once like a father to a son, or brother to brother.

Eric opened the window to let in the warm, spring breeze that he saw was causing the pine trees to dance and sway. He felt that if he let the dreams continue to haunt him, he would be swept in to something so nightmarish and complex, he'd never be able to escape.

He would make a point to talk to Christina when she came back from her weekend outing with her aunt.

* * *

><p>Christina was in her room with Rinoa, who was curled up on the soft hotel room bed.<p>

"I remembered... Rinoa, why we make this trip every year." She said. "Because this is when my parents were killed in that car wreck... right?"

"Yes... I think your Aunt is just simply trying to create some good, fond memories in relation to this day. So that it won't always be marred by the tragedy of that day." Replied Rinoa softly.

Robin had been walking by her niece's bedroom when she heard the strange, New York accented voice replying when Christina spoke. She blinked. There should be no one else in there, so she opened the door just enough to see, and her eyes went wide. A cat talking? She was glad that her niece had her back to the door, but her heart was racing as the cat continued the conversation.

"With your duties ahead of you as Sailor Callisto, I suggest you take advantage of this peace and quiet now while we still can. Your true battle will commence when the entire team has been reunited."

A door was flung open at that moment.

Christina jumped and shrieked, thinking an enemy had just barged their way in. She pulled out her transformation pen as she whirled around.

Rinoa jumped in her spot and hissed, her hair standing on end.

When they realized who it was, staring at them, blue eyes wide at them. Robin stared at the pen that Christina was holding as though it were a lifeline.

"My niece... my very own niece... a warrior?" She said.

Christina blinked, stumped as to what to do. She looked at Rinoa. When suddenly Rinoa's eyes flashed a bright amber light that lit up the room like the forth of July for a split second. When the light receded, Robin slumped to the floor unconscious.

"I'm sorry... I had to do it..." Rinoa jumped from the bed, and walked over to Christina's Aunt. "No one must learn your identity, the enemy could use it against us if they knew."

Christina's heart was still racing. What would have happened if Rinoa had let this slide? Was there much more at stake in this than she was thinking?

"I'm sorry, I was careless..." Christina said, putting her pen in her pocket.

"It's ok, I took care of it." Rinoas eyes flashed amber once again, and Robin vanished, to reappear curled up in her bed in the room next door. "Your Aunt will think it was just a dream, nothing more." She said as Christina went to close the door to her own room.

* * *

><p>"Eh... It's so boring without anything to do here." Annie was leaning back in her chair in the Command Center.<p>

"Not anything to do, huh?" Hillary was working on her laptop as she said she would at school the previous day.

"Yeah, Eric's not working today either. So we can't pester him. And that teacher isn't anywhere to be found. I thought she'd be at her home, but when I called in to ask, her husband said he hadn't seen her in days." Shrugged Annie.

"Not seen her in days... but she's still teaching class?" Hillary thought that was strange to say the least.

"Who knows... maybe they're having some kind of marital problems or something." Annie said casually.

"But... Mrs. Hauna... Marital problems? That just doesn't make sense. She's always kind and sweet, if a bit weird, you know? I wonder if she's spoken to any of the other teachers about anything... It's just too strange." Hillary started typing on her computer laptop again.

Annie frowned, lost in thought about the whole thing. If they had Rinoa here, they could ask the Guardian for a second opinion on this, or even Christina. She was a Senshi before they were. Maybe she had some experience in solving mysteries.

"I know what we should do!" Annie said suddenly, causing Hillary to jump with the abrupt exclamation.

"And what's that?" Asked Hillary.

"Go up to the school, of course. They always leave it unlocked for students who forget stuff, and we can just tell security that we need something from our lockers, and to talk to one of our teachers." Annie said, looking quite pleased with herself for her spurt of brilliance.

"You know... that's not a bad idea." Hillary said thoughtfully, putting a hand to her chin.

"I know, right?" Grinned Annie, looking much more like herself again. "Come on, let's go!" She said, already at the door.

"N-now?" Blinked Hillary, caught off guard.

"Yeah, now! Before the teachers leave for the day!"

"Erm..."

He was grumbling as he walked down the street of this backwater, God forsaken town. Why did HE have to be sent here to track down the Sailor Scouts? His boss saw the news report, then began obsessing over those three women, though mainly their leader. James Goldsmith, tall with light brown, short hair and dark brown eyes was not thrilled to be here at the moment compared where he used to live- Spokane- this was a boring, dried up wasteland with nothing to do on the weekends.

"Dammit... why do I have to be the one sent here?" He exclaimed as two girls with burnt ochre colored hair walked past, gabbing happily about some random thing. All he saw was that one had her extremely curly hair in a pony tail, while the other had her hair hanging loose. While their hair color matched that of two of the Sailor Scouts that occasionally appeared in the town, nothing else did so he moved on without giving them a second thought. His boss wanted Sailor Callisto captured and brought to headquarters, not her comrades.

There was a low crime rate in this small town, except for the occasional gang related incident, or the recent cases in which the mysterious Sailor Scouts appeared and saved the day. So it wasn't like there was a lot to do even for a Police Man. At least until Sailor Callisto's next appearance. Right now he was doing a check on all the students in the school, anyone who matched the criteria for being a young costumed girl out to save the day- between thirteen and sixteen, with waist length brown hair and green eyes. _Like there were any girls like that in the school,_ grumbled the unfortunate officer who had already gone through all the profiles before arriving. Yet he was still sent here anyways, for the chance that Sailor Callisto would appear, then let herself get caught. _Fat chance_, he scratched the back of his head rather annoyed, _those heroine types are elusive. No one's yet been able to actually catch any of the Sailor Scouts in Tokyo from what I've heard. Ah hell, why'm' I the one who got stuck with this job? _

* * *

><p>"Kyaa!" Christina's face was lit up as she entered her favorite store in the mall, which was an anime store with posters hung over the walls and Japanese comic books in their original formats. "So cool! I love being in here!"<p>

"I'll be in the next shop, Christina!" Robin called as Christina was so obviously in her own little world as she set out to picking out gifts for her two new friends back home, then blow the rest of her allowance on things for herself. She bought posters for all three of them, a cute kitty bowl for Rinoa that had her name written in Japanese Hirigana, a Sailor V figurine for herself, and figurines of all of Sailor Venus' forms, as well as a couple Japanese wall scrolls of Sailor V, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus. She wound up blowing a years' worth of allowance there, but it was worth it in the end. She added a few new CDs by Michiru Kaioh, Minako Aino, and complete soundtracks from the Sailor Moon Anime.

Rinoa thought she was going a bit overboard, but when she tried mentioning that in whispers, she was simply brushed off as annoying and Christina left the shop two hours later, her allowance completely spent in the store, and her arms and hands laden with bags.

"Ah... Feels so good to blow all my money like that. And I even remembered my friends and kitty too!" She was saying as she met with her aunt, who herself had a couple bags from the place next door.

"Well... You certainly went all haywire in there." Robin blinked, surprised at her niece's loads she was hauling.

"So did you." Grinned Christina.

They decided to go to the food court for their lunch after that, where Christina saw all the choices and had to do rock-paper-scissors to figure out which one she was going to.

While they ate at a small table- Rinoa was treated to some salmon and rice that she loved- and Christina was just vaguely wondering if she should start taking a leaf out of Sailor V's book and start solving some normal crimes as well as the abnormal. At that moment, a scream ripped through the food court and heard a woman scream about a purse and pick-pockets, which made up her mind.

"Auntie, I'm going to the bathroom!" Christina said quickly.

_Wait, what? _Rinoa thought at this sudden pronouncement right after the thief ran off with the woman's purse.

* * *

><p>"Hurry back, hon!" Robin called as Christina made for the restroom, where she ducked behind an old soda machine once out of sight.<p>

_Time to start working at gaining a little more reputation! _She thought before calling out her transformation phrase-

"Callisto Moon Power, Make-UP!"

Moments later as the brown haired guy with the stolen purse rounded a corner, he nearly ran straight in to a masked young woman.

"Watch it dude, thievery is not permitted! Here or anywhere!" Sailor Callisto said, before pointing a finger at him.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" He said, taking a couple steps back, still holding on to the purse as the sound of footsteps could be heard approaching.

"I am Sailor Callisto, Senshi of love and justice!" Sailor Callisto replied, pulling one of her best moves, even for such a minor criminal like a purse thief.

"So you're appearing here now, eh?" He grinned, then threw his free hand into the form of a fist, and flung it at her.

She swung to the side, and grabbed his wrist. The man suddenly screamed as fire erupted from the hand.

_Eh? _Callisto did not realize that would happen, but when she withdrew, the man dropped the purse, grabbing his own wrist in searing pain, cursing her with rather rude words indeed.

"Oh shut up, you. A burned wrist is nothing compared to what the police are gonna do to you, you punk."

This time, Sailor Callisto was ready for the reaction and placed her hand right on his chest. It wasn't enough to do permanent damage, but enough to thoroughly knock the guy out for many hours.

As the cops came running around the corner, she grabbed the stolen purse.

"Hey! What's going on here?" The leader of the mall security team shouted at her.

"Here's the purse," Callisto tossed it at him, then pointed at the passed out thief on the floor beside her. "And here's the criminal. Don't worry, he'll be up on his feet in no time! The damage isn't permanent." She grinned, before her tiara flashed a bright violet light that blinded them, and she vanished.

"What was with that light? Hey! Where'd she go!" The men shouted in alarm.

* * *

><p>Christina returned to the table moments later, pretending to be feeling much better after having used the restroom. She saw the woman having her purse returned, and how grateful she was and smiled slightly before returning to her meal, though Rinoa was giving her a reprimanding look that told her she was going to be scolded later for her random act of helping with a normal case that the police could've easily handled.<p>

* * *

><p>Hillary and Annie passed the security guard in front of the school rather casually, then once they were through the all too familiar doors, went for Mrs. Hauna's classroom. It wasn't far from their lockers, so they were able to pretend they were going to their lockers rather efficiently.<p>

Hillary was about to knock on the classroom door when they heard a voice drifting out from the room.

"_I told you before, I know what I am doing. If this mission is to succeed, I need to tread carefully and take my time. I messed up before with those brats... It won't happen again, My Lady." _

Through the window they could see Mrs. Hauna's form staring at the window. Only it wasn't her reflection in the window, and it wasn't her voice coming out of the body that was speaking. The reflection in the window was of a woman with waist length, curly crimson red hair, and almost dead looking green eyes. She wore a black dress, and canary yellow tear drop earrings.

"_Morgani... This is your last chance._ _Do not disappoint me again._" The woman in the mirror said.

"Yes, Lady Rubiella..." Mrs. Hauna bowed to the reflection.

_Morgani? _Thought Hillary in a horrified silence. _Mrs. Hauna is Morgani? _She looked back at her sister in shock. And who was this Rubiella person? It wasn't like they could barge in there without the rest of their team. They would have to wait until Christina's return with Rinoa before they could figure out what to do. And for Annie and Hillary, that time couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

Ok, wow. I did not mean to go so long without any updates! But this chapter was a hard one to write! It might not have a lot of action or fighting, but it has a lost of things happening nonetheless. Things were revealed, yet there are more secrets showing up as well. I introduced a new character, too! How dare I!

Who is this dude that I added? Well, that will for now remain a mystery, just like the woman at the gate in Christina's dreams, and that giant three headed dog that accompanies said woman. I've had to do a LOT of researching on Roman/Greek mythology for this story before actually starting it. You'll find some Code Name: Sailor V hints in it too? Well I happen to be a hopeless V-Chan fan, as it is referred to in the manga Code Name: Sailor V. So there will be references to Sailor V, and the other Senshi.

But I'm hoping that this chapter has given a renewed interest and that you guys will hang on as the story unfolds over time! Finding the right pace to be able to have plenty of things going on while telling the story is proving tricky, but do-able.

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas this year! I got Codename: Sailor V volumes 1+2, and Magic Knight Rayearth the complete season 1 Manga to read! So there also might be some OTHER influences in the story coming up in the future.

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: **

**Rising Above it All **

_Dear Diary, _

_I am in Spokane! I blew all my allowance that I'd been saving for the year. But it was worth it! I got so many things today, and even got to stop a purse snatcher! (The stick-in-the-mud Rinoa gave me a talking to about doing random acts like that without farther notice and all, but it felt so good to help out!) _

_My Aunt nearly found out about our secret last night though. Luckily Rinoa was there to wipe her memories! It sounds mean, but Rinoa says it's the best way to protect Aunt Robin at this point, especially when we still don't really know who our enemy is, or how they could use that against us._

_I love it here it the city. It feels like I'm in a different world almost. Sadly, tomorrow afternoon I'm going back home and it's back to a semi-normal life that I lead. _

_Semi-normal? Right. As normal as life can be for a Sailor Scout! _

_Eh... _

_Also, last night I heard someone calling out to me in my dream about the lily lake where that woman is with the huge dog and all. Is it possible someone else can see in to my dreams? I wonder who it was. I couldn't really tell. _

_I wonder if I can help out with a few more police cases while I'm here. I got the idea from Sailor V, actually. Reading her latest comic is so fun! I hope someday I'll meet her, or even Sailor Uranus, or Neptune. _

_I actually finished my homework right after we were done shopping today, so now I can goof off and enjoy my new loot from the Anime store! (And without being hounded by my cat either!) Rinoa is currently napping in a patch of evening sun on the hotel window sill. Some peace and quiet from her nagging! Yay! _

_Christina. _

* * *

><p>Hillary and Annie were once again in the Command Center, wondering what on earth they should do about what they heard about. They managed to get away before 'Mrs. Hauna' left the classroom, and knew they couldn't do anything in regards to actually attacking before they talked to Rinoa. So Annie turned on the television to the afternoon news, where here jaw dropped.<p>

"And today in NorthCity Mall, a theft suspect was apprehended by none other than Sailor Callisto! It turns out that the burglar in question was wanted across the state for over thirty robberies and purse theft cases, as well as I.D. theft." The reporter, Nancy Wright was saying.

Hillary- who had a bit of shaved carrot sticking out of her mouth, started at the screen, swallowed, then went on a rant.

"That little-! How dare she go off and do something like that without us!" Both Hillary and Annie were quite indignant about the whole thing.

* * *

><p>Morgani, in Mrs. Hauna's form, was staring at the television screen in her office at the school. So Sailor Callisto was on the move, was she? Morgani frowned. She'd found who she'd been looking for, but was waiting to make sure no one would get in her way. And now, it looked like things were all clear, so long as she made sure Sailor Callisto would REMAIN out of her way.<p>

The room went black, the television went out.

"Aquila." She said as she reappeared in her own form.

What appeared to be a mannequin rose up out from the floor, near her shadow. Eagle-like eyes gleamed in the darkness that surrounded them.

"I want you to find, and kill Sailor Callisto." Morgani ordered, raising a hand, there was a flash, and Aquila saw an image of who he was looking for. "No matter who gets in the way."

"At once, Mistress."

The mannequin vanished with a flurry of dark brown Eagle feathers.

"And now... to the other issue keeping me from going back to the mansion..." The form of Mrs. Hauna vanished in a black shadow, to be replaced by Morgani's original state, then she too disappeared from the classroom.

Seconds later, the classroom door was banged open, Hillary and Annie had come running at full speed when Hillary's computer laptop indicated that the enemy had been in this room. They did not know that they just missed Morgani.

* * *

><p>"Dammit..." Hillary groaned in frustration. "Just when I thought we had them!"<p>

Annie was panting, and rubbing sweat off her forehead. She was no sprinter, unlike her sister.

"You brought the computer with you didn't you? Let's scan the area for a source of the negative energy it picked up on earlier when we get back outside." Annie suggested. "After I grab a drink from the water fountain..." She added.

* * *

><p>Christina and Rinoa were waiting outside a fast food restaurant for Robin on the second bright, sunny day in Spokane. Since she blew all her money the previous day at NorthCity Mall, Robin was driving around to places like Riverside Park, the Art Museum- though honestly they never were able to find the darn place- and the IMAX Theater to see if there was anything worthwhile to watch. Since there were a couple movies playing that they both wanted to see, they decided in the end to split up once it came time for the air date.<p>

Before the movies, however, Robin treated Christina to a Dusty Burger with all natural, low salt fries and fry sauce. As well as a Diet Pepsi. And for Rinoa, she got a special treat as well, some fry sauce with tater tots. Robin came out from the restaurant, her arms full of bags, and they picked a round table outside the building, where Christina loved watching the traffic go by.

Rinoa was munching away happily on her tater tots that Robin dunked in the fry sauce for her, on the table with them. She wasn't able to speak in front of Robin, considering the near-fiasco they had with her the previous night, but Rinoa thought it was a good thing that Robin kept up this traditional trip to the city every year, as it gave Christina something to look forward to, and to save up for things that she normally wouldn't be able to get in the small little town she hailed from.

It was late afternoon, and Aquilla had tracked the source of power that belonged to this Sailor Callisto to the IMAX Theater, the biggest movie screen in the city. Hovering above, he was able to see through the walls and the crowd of people in general where the power generated from.

Christina's hands were full, with a medium popcorn, medium diet pepsi, and a couple of chocolate bars. Rinoa hung on to her shoulders, able to use her brand of magic to get in to just about anywhere with Christina.

"This is great! I've always wanted to see this documentary about outer space on the big screen!" Christina was lost in her own world at the moment.

"Now remember, Christi, we meet here in the lobby after the movies are done." Robin said, making sure her niece still had the ticket.

"Yeah, yeah, you sound like a broken CD." Christina waved a hand at her aunt before going in to the hallway that led to her specific theater. After picking a seat near the back away from the couples and families, she started munching on her popcorn while Rinoa talked to her in whispers.

"I feel something very strange here, Christina." Rinoa whispered. "Be on your guard."

"It's just an IMAX Theater, Rinoa. Honestly, you're being paranoid." Christina shoved some popcorn in to the cats' mouth.

* * *

><p>Hillary and Annie were both walking down the street from the school, Hillary had her mini computer laptop out, and the two were following the signal. They didn't have to look very far, when a scream split the air.<p>

"Hillary-!"

"Annie-!"

The two sisters said their names in unison. Hillary closed her laptop, put it in her pocket as Annie pulled out her transformation rod.

"Christina thinks she can solve a case on her own, eh?" Annie winked. "Wait till she hears she'll have one more person to shop for!"

"What do you want?" Cathy stood in front of her little sister. They had been enjoying the sun and warmth of the afternoon in front of their yard after finishing their homework finally when the woman appeared and attacked Elizabeth, for no apparent reason. In spite of their little arguments they kept on having, the two really were close friends and siblings.

Elizabeth was hiding behind her sister, who had her arms outstretched. It was the only thing she could do, she didn't have any powers like this man apparently did.

The woman smirked and held out the searching stone. Instead of revealing which one of them had the Star Power she'd sensed earlier, lightning shot out of it at them.

Cathy closed her eyes, bracing herself and wincing, though she refused to move. But the attack never struck her. She chanced a glance, and saw a dome had appeared around her and her sister.

"W-what?" She stammered.

"Yo, the freak with the blue hair!" Sailor Amalthea shouted. "You wanna pick a fight, why don't you pick it with us!"

"The Sailor Senshi..." Frowned Morgani. Just when she thought she'd have something good to report to Rubiella, these two show up. "Where's your precious leader, huh? Think you two losers can take me on without her?"

"No worries there." Sailor Elara said, bringing her scythe forward. "Now it's time for you to see what Sailor Senshi are made of!"

"Hey, sis, how long will your shield on those two last?" Amalthea asked.

"Long enough for us to kick Morgani's ass."

"Good enough."

* * *

><p>Christina was rather enjoying her film on the IMAX screen, when at a rather interesting part about how the names of many of the moons in the solar system were named after Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses, the screen went black.<p>

"Huh?" She, and many other movie theater goers were rather unhappy about the most recent turn of events.

"If you want to learn about Space, why don't I just send you there?" A male voice echoed as though he were using a microphone.

There was a flash that blinded them, and Eagle feathers ripped apart the IMAX screen, sending fabric every where as people panicked.

"Christina, down!" Rinoa warned.

"How did the enemy track me down all the way over here?" Christina hissed.

"I'm not sure. But never mind that now, transform!" Rinoa growled right back.

"Ok, ok! There goes my movie..." Christina's resentment was quite obvious as she pulled out her Transformation Rod.

"Now," Aquilla was saying as with his magic, he locked all the doors. "Sailor Callisto, show yourself, or these innocent bystanders will die along with you!"

People were gathered at the four exits and entrances of the theater, struggling in vain to escape. They couldn't get past the transparent barrier he put up in front of each door, on top of locking them.

"Well, if you won't show yourself..." He said after a few moments, he directed the palm of his hand at one of the youngest in the theater, a small girl about the age of six.

Many things happened in rapid succession. There was a flash, a scream from the girls' mother, and then gasps of shock as the girl was grabbed and pushed out of the way by a figure faster than even Aquilla was.

"Hey, ugly, over here!" Sailor Callisto was standing on the stage of the IMAX Theater now. She amazed herself with how quick she could be when enraged. "You wanna pick on kids, or were you looking for me?" She said as the mother of the little girl ran over to pull the child out of harms way.

"So you decide to show yourself?" Aquilla's head turned, without moving his body.

So this was another mannequin?

"You think you can come in here and interrupt the innocent movie goers, some of whom were trying to experience something they rarely get to see on the biggest screen in the state? Well, think again, buddy! I, Sailor Callisto will not stand for it!" Callisto declared. "In the name of love and justice, and movie goers everywhere, I Sailor Callisto will kick your butt!"

Rinoa sighed, from her hiding spot. Of all the times to pick a long winded introduction speech...

* * *

><p>Eric had been on his way to the Food Market, the only major shopping store in town, when it happened. A splitting headache like he'd never felt. And in his mind, he heard her, her name. <em>Sailor Callisto! <em>He swayed on the spot, leaning against the brick wall of the building he'd been walking by. _What was going on? _The pain only increased, and soon he let out a yell as he grabbed his head, and a pure white light engulfed his body, only to have himself vanish from sight just as someone came running around the corner to check on who had screamed.

"What?" The stranger blinked. "I'm sure I heard someone shouting." He said.

* * *

><p>"I'll gladly take you on!" Morgani shouted in retaliation to Sailors Amalthea and Elara's challenges to battle.<p>

"What in the world is going on?" Blinked Cathy, pressing her hands on the shield, but it wouldn't budge.

Elizabeth watched as the three figures sparked a fight. There was something about all of this that seemed so strange. Like she'd seen all this before. And that she should act.

There was an explosion of sheer power that shook the ground beneath her feet, and resulted in Elizabeth falling to her knees.

"Woah...!" Amalthea looked like she'd just shocked herself with her Golden Sonic Blast attack that blocked the black lightning Morgani shot at them. "I did that?"

"Apparently!" Elara grinned. "Now it's my turn!" She said as, in a fit of rage, Morgani leapt up in to the air.

There was a flash of blue light that formed to her body. Her blue hair grew to the length of her waist, her pupils in her eyes seemed to warp, the skin of her body stretched, as her fingers elongated to make her look like a starved creature from a horror movie. Even her outfit changed, with a knee length black overcoat appeared over her human clothes. A blue shirt could be seen underneath, and a blue miniskirt replaced the pants she'd been wearing. Instead of the everyday shoes she wore, she now wore sky-blue high heels as she landed.

"So the true form reveals herself?" Blinked Elara.

"I shall eradicate you from the face of this planet, along with your precious leader, then I will kill that pathetic little girl over there!" Morgani shouted.

Elizabeth felt an annoyed twinge at the jab. _Pathetic am I? _

There was a flash of black, a flash of gold and red as multiple spells were shouted at once, then a collision of sheer power and energy that shook the ground, and seemed to stun the two girls in the protective dome.

"Woah..." Cathy breathed, as though in shock, as even through the shield, the wind from that explosion rustled their hair and nearly shook her from her spot.

* * *

><p>Sailor Callisto saw the attack as it came at her without warning. Feathers, at first, surrounded her, moving as though on a spinning top. Before they began to glow. Something inside her told her she did not want to see what would happen next. She reached up for her tiara.<p>

"Callisto Tiara, Go!" She shouted, targeting the now glowing feathers. The tiara cut through them, but the pieces still hovered in midair, spinning, glowing ever brighter.

"Nice try! Nothing can take down my feathers!" Aquilla sneered. "Now... Change!" He called out the command as the tiara continued to cut through the glowing feathers, but the feathers did not move from their spots.

Suddenly, the feathers turned on their sides, then began to elongate and even out around the edges until they turned in to glowing rope.

"Callisto, jump out of the way!" Rinoa shouted.

The tiara returned to Callisto's forehead, and she jumped straight up in to the air, and landed several feet away, but closer to the edge of the stage. However, the now six circles of glowing rope followed her, shooting after her the moment she left the floor. So she had no choice but to dodge to the side, even with the ropes splitting apart for a second, then wrapping around her. She couldn't grab on to the edge, or reach out her hands to brace for the fall.

"Now, Sailor Callisto-" Aquilla growled as he walked over to the spot on the stage where she'd just been standing. "Perhaps it is time to die." He added the moment she hit the floor on her side.

_Crap! There's no way out of this! _She thought desperately.

"No!" Rinoa shouted in alarm, jumping on to the top of one of the theater seats.

Callisto glared at Aquilla as he made to use whatever spell that he had up his sleeve, when she was helpless, lying there on the floor with more than a dozen people watching.

Then, a small flash of light. The bonds were cut, and the white rose was sticking out of the ground between herself and Aquilla. Her arms and legs sprang free as she looked over to see the MoonShadow Knight standing in the shadows just below the movie projector room, where the workers were gawking at the sight before them.

"You guys really like picking on people, don't you?" MoonShadow Knight said.

"Now just who might you be, the sissy flower boy?" Aquilla sneered as MoonShadow Knight moved in to the normal lighting before jumping to Callisto's side, helping her up to her feet.

She was staring up at him in shock, having not expected him to come to her aid, so far from home. She had been certain that he too lived in Okanogan somewhere. Yet here he was, miles from that small town.

"MoonShadow Knight... How?" She blinked.

"Shouldn't we be focussing on defeating him?" MoonShadow Knight said, giving an unseen smile beneath his mask.

Aquilla had leapt into the air.

"You think you can fight me with roses, huh, sissy boy? Well, try this!" He held out his right hand, and a cluster of eagle feathers formed there, before taking the shape of what looked like a sword then the feathers seemed to melt away, to reveal the gleaming weapon.

As Aquilla seemed to fly towards MoonShadow Knight and Sailor Callisto at breakneck speed, MoonShadow Knight unsheathed his own sword, kept hidden underneath his cloak, and his blade met Aquilla's at the last second.

"I WAS saving this attack for your girlfriend, but I'll use it on YOU!" The man shouted.

"For a mannequin, he certainly is tough..." Callisto said, noticing that her hands were shaking as she stumbled backwards a little bit.

Then, as if to prove her point, what looked like black lightning shot from Aquilla's sword right at MoonShadow Knight.

Callisto's instant reaction was to run over and push Aquilla out of the way. But Rinoa jumped in between her.

"It's too dangerous!" Rinoa warned as MoonShadow Knight buckled slightly. His blue eyes were narrowed in focus, who he had to protect. The pain was throughout his body when the black lightning engulfed him. But he was better than this man. Or whatever it was that he was facing. Far better. He would persevere.

As if in response to those thoughts, his sword did something he'd never seen in living memory: It began to gleam, shine as though reflecting moonlight that was nonexistent in this room. And Aquilla was thrown back as MoonShadow Knight thrust his sword forward. The mannequin slammed hard in to the cement wall that once backed the IMAX screen in that theater.

"Now, Callisto! While he's down!" MoonShadow Knight said, his voice pulling her out from her state of shock and wondering how to help him. He didn't need any help after all.

"Right..." She nodded.

* * *

><p>Elara stood in front of Amalthea with her scythe. It was meant to protect, and that is what she would use it for. A blast of the black lightning met her, and even in her high heels, she stood her ground.<p>

"Hurry! Use that attack while I'm holding her off!" She hissed at Amalthea, who was gaping at her own sister's resilience as the power struck her.

So Sailor Amalthea jumped in to the air once more, moving above Morgani, who by now had completely forgotten Elizabeth and Cathy, who were still stuck in Elara's protective dome.

Cathy blinked. Amalthea looked like a golden beacon in the skies for a moment, as a golden sphere flashed in her hands. Then the following explosions really DID knock her off her feet. Cathy was flung backwards in to Elizabeth, who- already being on the ground- was able to catch her older sister.

At that moment, there was a cracking noise, like glass breaking. Then Elizabeth realized that with that last burst of power, the shield which Sailor Elara placed there for their protection was breaking.

"Sailor Scouts!" Elizabeth shouted in warning. "Hurry!"

Sailor Elara heard the shout, and saw what Elizabeth was pointing at.

"Crap!" She added, as Morgani crumpled to the ground, but she wasn't broken yet.

Amalthea landed on the ground in front of the shield. She was amazed at the the sheer power of her Golden Shock Wave.

"Time for a double strike, right sis?" Amalthea suggested.

"You'll never win! Even if you defeat me, there will be others!" Morgani said, looking at Sailor Elara, who had gotten her scythe in the attack position, while Amalthea prepared to leap into the air once more.

This time, Sailor Elara joined her sister. The words for this attack were coming to her. It would be the first time she used it in a battle in living memory, yet it seemed so natural, that the words slipped from her with the ease as though she'd been born with them locked inside of her heart, just waiting for the right moment to come out.

"Elara Crimson Purification!" She shouted, turning her scythe blade to the ground.

"Amalthea Golden Shock Wave!" Amalthea called out at the same time.

The golden sphere shot towards Morgani, while what looked like pure crimson energy encircled, then engulfed it.

Morgani raised her hand full of black lightning, directing her attack at the two combined strikes from the Senshi above her.

Elizabeth and Cathy, seeing the incoming blast, closed their eyes and braced each other for the resulting impact. What they did NOT expect, was the protective shield completely being blown away and leaving them defenseless against Morgani, had she somehow survived the attack. Something about the shock of the situation finally struck Cathy, who passed out cold.

"Sis!" Elizabeth called out as her sister slumped to the ground on her side in front of her.

When Sailors Amalthea and Elara landed on the ground, this time between Morgani and the two sisters, Morgani looked rather disheveled. Her clothes had rips and tears in them, her hair was no longer nearly as neat as they had been during the fight.

Yet there was something different about her. It wasn't in her physical appearance, but her eyes. They seemed more human to Elara, who blinked. What was going on?

The two Sailor Scouts braced themselves as Morgani turned. She wasn't nearly as graceful, or sure as she had been just moments before.

"I...must... Kill the Sailor...Senshi..." Morgani wheezed as though a rib or two had been broken somehow. She stumbled slowly forward. But when she reached the two Sailor Scouts, her eyes closed, and all the color seemed to drain from her skin as she fell forward.

Amalthea and Elara moved out of the way as Morgani hit the ground that was between them. Then they felt their jaws drop as her hair went from the pale blue, to black. Then, seemed to vanish altogether. The only thing left in her place was a simple, roughly hewn blue stone, the same shade of blue that her hair had been before the unusual transformation.

* * *

><p>As the smoke faded away, the mannequins' remains seemed to vanish, as well as the shields the mannequin put up around the exits of the theaters.<p>

"You know... I'm really starting to hate mannequins." Callisto said to the MoonShadow Knight, who chuckled.

"I think your fans are wanting to thank you." He said, pointing on the sudden crowd that was swelling, almost narrowing in on her in particular after defeating their strange attacker.

"Eh?" She blinked, turning her attention to the soft tugging on her skirt, like a small child trying to get her attention. It was the girl she had saved earlier.

"Thank you for saving me from that ugly man!" The little girl beamed up at her.

"Eh?" Callisto stammered that it wasn't a problem. She glanced back to thank MoonShadow Knight for helping her, but he had already vanished.

"Callisto! We need to go!" Rinoa hissed in warning as the crowd swelled. She didn't think her charge was quite ready for this kind of attention, the way she was stammering, could barely string two words together, and get so startled by a little child- adorable as the little one was- thanking her for saving her life.

"Sorry! Gotta go!" Callisto managed to get out.

There was, once more, a bright flash of violet light that blinded everyone but herself and Rinoa, and the two took advantage of that moment, making for the nearest exit, and running down the hallway past a woman in a suit, and hurrying to find the nearest ladies restroom. Luckily it was completely empty.

When Christina and Rinoa exited, she could hear a commotion in the theater, and decided on better judgement that it was in their best interest NOT to re-enter. Instead, they went in to the lobby, once more past the woman in the suit, feeling rather relieved at how things turned out.

"Well, it could've been worse!" Rinoa whispered. "If MoonShadow Knight hadn't turned up when he did!"

"So does that mean your suspicions about him have ebbed?" Christina asked, getting herself a fresh soda.

"No, but for now I'm giving him a bit of a break." Replied the cat as Christina also got her one of her favorite treats- a sugar orange candy ribbon. She didn't like it all the time, but once in a while, it was the perfect treat to have crumbled up in to bite size pieces and munch on.

"Christina! There you are!" Robin breathed, having been searching everywhere for her niece.

"Hm?" Christina turned, with an orange flavored lollipop sticking out of her mouth.

"I heard there was something going on in your theater! A monster attacked, and Sailor Callisto appeared!" Her aunt panted, apparently having literally ran all over the place.

Christina unstuck the lollipop from her mouth, and smiled.

"I was out in the restroom when it happened, and couldn't get back in. So I just decided to come back and wait for you here." She replied, putting on a- in Rinoa's opinion- very good expression of surprise and shock. "Is THAT what was really going on?" She blinked.

"Yeah! Everyone's talking about it!" Robin pointed at the crowd, which had now swelled to include a small news crew doing interviews with the little girl and her parents.

_Am I really getting that big? _Blinked Christina, staring rather shocked at the sight.

* * *

><p>Sailors Amalthea and Elara stared down at the stone for a moment, before Elara knelt down and picked it up before turning to the girls behind them.<p>

"What is your name?" Asked Amalthea.

"E-Elizabeth. Elizabeth Sheppard." Blinked the much younger looking girl.

"Elizabeth. You are one of us." Smiled Elara in an encouraging sort of way.

"One of you?" The blond looked between the two Sailor Scouts.

"That's why that woman attacked you. Because you have the qualities of a Sailor Senshi." Elara replied, the stone having vanished, to be replaced by the spring green Transformation Rod that Christina had given her days before. She held it out for Elizabeth to take.

Elizabeth glanced back at her sister, who was still out cold on the ground.

"Would this give me the power I need to protect my sister should anything happen again?" She asked, walking over.

Elara blinked at the odd question. It sounded to her something odd someone so young would ask.

"Yes. And most likely it will, simply because of her relationship to you. Are you accepting this gift then?" Asked the Sailor Scout.

There was a moment's pause. If this meant that next time, she would be able to return her sisters' favor of trying to protect her. Not to mention, gain a few extra friends in the process.

She reached out for the Transformation Rod and instantly felt a warm connection between her and the rather inanimate object. The warmth spread from her fingers to her arm, then her whole body. She felt like it was the warmth of early spring, the kind of heat that was fresh and new that brought everything back to life. She closed her eyes in the epiphany. She WAS one of them. She WAS special, unique. Just like her mother and sister always said. She felt the warmth turn in to a light that engulfed her whole body for a split second, then she reemerged in a completely different form.

"Wow! Well done!" Amalthea grinned.

She was a few inches taller now, her shoulder-length golden blond hair now hung down to her waist, held back by an ultramarine blue headband, that only left a couple of strands of her bangs on the right side of her face hanging loose. Her Senshi skirt, vest, shoes and heart shaped brooch were all bright spring green, while the bow in front and back were the same shade of ultramarine as the headband. Her shoes had inch thick soles, with a belt wrapping in an 'X' in front, otherwise looking like regular platform boots. The trim on her Senshi elbow-length gloves was also spring green. The jewel at the center of her forehead tiara was spring green and glimmering in the sunlight.

She blinked, staring at herself, her hands, then spinning around on the spot. It felt strange having so much hair and being nearly as tall as Amalthea and Elara.

"Huh?" She blinked, suddenly just realizing something.

"What?" Elara tilted her head.

"Shouldn't there be one more of you? Where's the leader?" Elizabeth asked.

Amalthea and Elara looked at each other, stumped as to how to explain that their leader was currently out of town.

* * *

><p>"Ah, what a great day!" Christina was yawning and stretching. Tomorrow, she would be headed home.<p>

"What are you talking about, Christina? You nearly got your butt kicked by that guy!" Snarled Rinoa from her spot on the hotel window sill.

"Yeah, but it was neat seeing that all those people still thought that I was pretty cool and all!" Grinned Christina in response. "Say what you like, Rinoa, I'm in too good of a mood right now to let it affect me!" _Not to mention, the MoonShadow Knight came to my rescue again! I wonder how he was able to get to where I was? _She looked out the window, seeing a crescent moon hanging in the night skies above Spokane that evening. _MoonShadow Knight... I wonder who you really are? Why won't you stay long enough for me to get two words in? _

"This weekend certainly showed me how much farther we've still got to go on your training! You might be taking this whole thing with poise and a touch of finesse, but for a Sailor Senshi to get herself caught like that! What my niece would think if she knew!" Rinoa sighed. She looked up when there was no response. "Hey! Christina, I'm trying to lecture you!"

There was barely a moment's pause, then a pillow met with Rinoa's face.

"Oh, use that to curl up on, annoying feline. Quit interrupting me when I'm daydreaming!" And Christina got underneath the covers of her bed, and shut off the light to the room as Rinoa glared at the reception she received.

Normally Christina was quite willing to listen to what she, Rinoa, had to say. So it surprised her that her charge rebelled a little that evening. But she smiled all the same as she pulled the pillow- which fell on to the floor after smacking in to her- up to the windowsill and curled up on it. There was bound to be a time or two where they had their spats, after all, she was still a kid who had a lot of growing up yet to do before she fully came in to her role, and possible future roles that were to be played out. With the pillow being so nice and soft, it wasn't hard for Rinoa to fall into a deep, comfortable sleep that evening.

* * *

><p>Hillary and Annie were quite pleased with how that weekend had gone. Cathy had woken up a short while later, completely unaware that her younger sister had transformed or anything had happened at all after she'd passed out, apart from them defeating Morgani.<p>

"Are you ok?" Hillary was bending over Cathy.

"Huh?" Cathy looked confused and discombobulated for a few moments. "That witch! What happened to her, sis?"

"It's ok! The Sailor Senshi turned up and defeated her, quite thoroughly I might add." Grinned Elizabeth, now back to her civilian form as well.

"We were just in the neighborhood and heard the commotion. But by the time we got here, everything was already back to normal." Hillary smiled as Cathy sat up, shaking her head.

"Dangit... we always miss all the fun." Annie said, her arms crossed over her chest, and giving the rather convincing air of someone disappointed that she didn't get exactly what she wanted over Christmas.

"At any rate," Hillary shot a glare at her sister. "Glad things are ok now. We've gotta get back home, but here-" She pulled out a piece of paper with their phone number. "Give us a call any time if you wanna hang out or something."

Annie winked at Elizabeth, before the two stood up- when they were sure Cathy was ok- and turned.

"Wait! What're your names? I'm Elizabeth, and my sis here is Cathy." Elizabeth shouted after them.

"Annie and Hillary Bellini." Annie returned the smile and waved again before heading out.

When they got home, they saw their mother watching the news in the living room, looking like it was a really interesting article, the two sisters looked at the screen, and nearly dropped their bottles of water and juice.

_Why that little...! _Thought Hillary, seeing that it was once again, about their friend and leader, Callisto who had yet again saved the day without them.

"She is SO getting a thrashing when she gets back!" Annie grumbled at her sister low enough that their mother couldn't hear, while Hillary was nodding rather fervently, her arms crossed over her chest, yet the look on her face was just as indignant as her older sisters'.

* * *

><p>James the unfortunate police inspector had just turned on HIS television to the news and saw who it was about, then nearly spat out his coffee.<p>

"That little...!" He snarled out loud. "How on Earth can she be all the way over there when our data tells us she's here? He STILL didn't have the slightest clue as to who she could be. If it weren't for that damned mask, he'd be able to get her to headquarters like his boss was demanding. James slumped in to his armchair as the chocolate lab dog that was his companion throughout all of this hurried over after finishing its evening meal. "What's up Max? What do you think I should do about this whole damned situation?"

The dog, being an animal, didn't reply with words but rather put his head on James' lap, wagging its tail.

"Yeah, she'll be back before too long if she's a student like our data suggests, right buddy? Looks like I've got no choice but to stick it out." He sighed, reaching over and scratching the back of the dog's ears.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

Ahem... This chapter wound up being trickier than I thought. With the two different battles going on, then the aftermath? But the current situation with an art/story thief going on over on my account on deviantART has kind of fueled me being able to get through this chapter, honestly. While I might not be updating my deviantART account right now because of the situation over there, I'm hoping my readers will be able to understand that I only update this because I know there ARE those out there who enjoy it, and won't steal it without my knowledge as another has done. But if this keeps up, then I might have to move all my accounts to a new one. I will not post that information publicly, and only tell a select few when/if that sad event happens.

At first I was a little unsure how to proceed with what I had planned for these fights and the bit of character development that goes on, however, I decided in the end to to a 'split' instead of writing it all at once, yet showing that they were pretty much happening simultaneously.

Christina's decision to solve the case of the purse snatcher in this chapter might be a bit on the random side, but I've had it planned for a while. She loves and adores Sailor V/Sailor Venus, and reads her comics regularly. So she decided to use a couple things that Sailor V in her early day does to get attention, even if she isn't exactly... Ready for the crowds of people swarming in on her afterwards. Remember guys, she (Christina) Comes from a small town, and is pretty much considered the uncool weird one at her school.

And what's going on with MoonShadow Knight? Well, if you haven't figured it out by THIS chapter, then this should answer who he is quite thoroughly for you. There's the deep connection between him and Callisto, and he's even going as far as to wonder if Christina is her real name.

Not to mention, yay! One more Sailor Senshi revived! What's her Scout name? Her powers? Hopefully you'll be learning all about that in the next few chapters when Rinoa answers those questions for the newbie.

Now... Onward!


	7. Chapter 6

**Proper Author's Comments will be after this chapter is done and over with! Until then, read on!**

**But I will say ahead of time that the tune featured in this chapter/episode is an imaginary remix of sorts of the Uranus+Neptune theme from the Sailor Moon S series of Sailor Moon. You may also recognize another tune that I feature in this, at least the lyrics. Just imagine the lyrics to a 90's beat. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six: <strong>

**Secrets of the Senshi's Past **

He couldn't believe it. She had not come back. Wolfani stood alone, staring out of one of the dark, glass paned windows of the mansion, looking out at the hills that surrounded them in dismay. He'd never even got a real chance to tell her...

His two friends blinked at each other.

"Morgani is gone... That just leaves the three of us to kill off those Sailor Scouts." He turned to look at Lazuli, and Wolfani. "I'm going to avenge Morgani. Those two Sailor Senshi won't know what hit them when I am done with them." He said, walking past Lazuli and Analci, who were now looking at each other rather uneasily. It wasn't like Wolfani to be filled with the sense of vengeance so much. But before either of the two could get their words in, he had vanished from the room.

* * *

><p>"I'm back! And I come bearing gifts!" Christina said, standing at the top of the small staircase that led down to the Command Center, where the others were gathered, but her welcome was far from friendly. Her hands were full with the bags that she carried for her friends.<p>

Hillary and Annie seemed quite gloomy indeed.

"Eh?" Blinked Christina, wondering what could've happened while she was gone. She also noticed an unfamiliar face in the room. "Who's she?" She asked, in regards to the smaller girl with shoulder length blond hair.

All three appeared not to hear her. She blinked, then looked down at Rinoa, who stared back up at her with the same expression. Rinoa jumped on to the table, and cleared her throat.

"Ahem. We're back, girls." Said the cat.

"Oh! Rinoa! You're back! We didn't hear you come in!" Hillary said cheerfully, quite suddenly acting as though her hearing was just fine. "Rinoa, this is Elizabeth Sheppard, she's that new Senshi you said was gonna show up!"

"That's great. Nice to meet you." Smiled the cat.

"Um...hello?" Christina said, feeling slightly stung by their ignoring her.

"Sailor Leda!" Rinoa continued. "So nice to meet you." Rinoa bowed to the newest member.

"Leda? That's what I'm called as a Sailor Senshi?" Elizabeth stared, shocked that a cat could talk.

"Yes. No doubt about it. The kind, sweetness in your eyes says it all. I recognize it anywhere." Nodded Rinoa in confidence.

"Nice to meet you too." Christina finally had enough of being ignored, and butted in. "Here." She adds, shoving the large shopping bags with Annie and Hillary's name on them in front of their faces.

"Oh! Christina, when did YOU come in here?" Annie said, suddenly changing from feigned deafness to excited welcome.

_Right. You ain't foolin' no one. _Christina glared.

"What's up with that greeting, anyways? Or lack thereof?" She prompted.

"What's up with the greeting?" Hillary stood up, then pointed at the television screen, which Christina suddenly noticed had been on this whole time, playing another coverage on the news, not only that, but continuing coverage of what had happened just the day before. "That's what's up! You went to Spokane, have a ball of a time at the NorthCity Mall, and stopping a purse snatcher of all things, THEN save the day all by yourself at the movie theater? And all you can say is 'What's up?'" Hillary was glaring like she'd never been angrier in her life.

Though Rinoa privately thought that this lecture was well deserved.

"Eh?" Blinked Christina. "Is that the kind of lecture you give to the person who brought you all kinds of things you can't get here?"

"All I have to say, is next time you go to Spokane, and plan on getting some action in, let us know so WE can come along!" Annie said, ignoring the fact that Rinoa's eyes went wide at that statement.

_Not the lecture I had in mind... They were just jealous! _The cat realized.

"Ok! Ok! And if I'd have known there was another member to our group, I'd have gotten her something too." Christina added, smiling at Elizabeth to make sure she knew she wasn't being ignored.

"It's ok, I'm actually not a fan of any of the Japanese Sailor Senshi, so I'm not offended." Elizabeth smiled.

"What?" The three girls stared at Elizabeth in shock.

"Next time, I'll have to find something else to get you then!" Christina rebounded rather quickly. "Now, are you two gonna open those presents, or am I gonna have to be glad to have kept the receipts, and mail the stuff back to the store and request all that money back?"

At that threat, Hillary and Annie quickly up-ended the contents of their bags, to reveal two wall-scrolls each, a few figurines of their favorite Sailor Scouts, some Japanese candy with Sailor Moon and the Senshi wrappers, a set of fine art ink pens decorated with their favorite Senshi, and Sailor Moon themed pencil tins.

"Wow! You went all out at the store." Annie said, unraveling one of the wall scrolls.

"I even got Rinoa a nicer kitty bowl with her name written in Hirigana, and a crescent moon next to the name. I thought it was adorable for her." Christina's smile showed that she was quite proud of herself.

It was as though their little spat was all but forgotten, thought Elizabeth with a fond smile.

"So, if you don't like Sailor Moon or any of them, what kind of things are you in to?" Asked Hillary as she was opening the box that contained the figurine of one of her favorite Senshi.

"I love Astronomy, and Greek and Roman myths/legends. I also kind of have a habit of collecting names, then researching their meanings." Replied the youngest member of their group. "Not to mention, I'm not bad at Karaoke and video games."

The other three looked at each other, Hillary and Annie's hands still full of their gifts they were examining.

"Karaoke-" Said Annie.

"Video games?" Hillary continued.

"Heck, even if you don't like any of the Japanese Senshi, that's still cool with us! What games do you like?" Christina's reaction caught Elizabeth off guard.

For Elizabeth, when Christina entered, she saw someone completely different for a moment. There was no light in her green eyes, she was a bit taller, and there was something bitter... hateful about how she looked at everything before approaching.

"Elizabeth?" Rinoa asked, seeing the confused expression on the young girl's face.

"Is it me... or does she have two personalities?" She asked the cat in a whisper, as the three girls started gossiping about what the four of them could do during their free time now, despite the fact that Elizabeth was not a Sailor Moon fan.

"Two personalities? What do you mean?" Rinoa prompted rather curiously.

When Elizabeth explained in a whisper what she had witnessed, Rinoa was silent for quite a while before answering.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that right now. But I should warn you... If what you have told me just now, and my suspicions are correct... we may have a shadow in our group. I'm sure there are valid reasons for why most of Christina's classmates have shunned her, they just have never spoken about it." Rinoa said. "Very few people can handle that shadow that haunts us."

"Shadow?" Elizabeth had no clue what Rinoa was talking about and thought for a moment. "Well, she seems friendly enough at any rate-"

"Hey! Lizzie- Can we call you Lizzie?" Annie said suddenly, making Elizabeth and Rinoa jump simultaneously in sudden shock. She didn't wait for the young girl to respond. "Come on, what kind of games do you like? We may be able to have a battle via-video games!"

* * *

><p>Wolfani had locked himself in his room. It was completely dark as he contemplated his next move. If he was to avenge himself on the Sailor Senshi for what they did to Morgani, then he would have to step up his game. Even though only two were responsible for what happened to her, he would punish all of them. Especially their leader, since she was the one their enemy sought out so desperately.<p>

_My puppets are stronger than Morgani, even though she was tough in her own right... The Sailor Senshi will pay for what they did to the one I loved_. He raised his right hand, and from the floor a shadow emerged.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, I've been running some diagnostics on this rock." Hillary said, a few days later, and the four girls were in the Command Center after school. "I found out that this is made of the purest form of Morganite." She said once she had the attention of the other girls, and Rinoa. She held up the stone that had appeared where Morgani vanished after her defeat in battle.<p>

"Morganite? Isn't that a super expensive, rare gemstone or something?" Asked Elizabeth.

"Exactly." Nodded Hillary.

"But what does it mean? Did that woman turn in to the stone or something?" Christina blinked, totally stumped as to what Hillary could be getting at.

"It looks that way. Rinoa, what do you think?" Hillary looked over at the cat, who had been quiet and thoughtful most of that afternoon.

"Yes, it is rare to find Morganite so pure. And I think it and the woman you faced are somehow connected. However, there aren't many cases of humanoid or humans in general being turned in to stone, that I know of. Except for the Shittenou." Rinoa replied.

"Shittenou?" Now all four of the girls were staring, lost in the conversation once more.

"The Four Kings of Heaven. The guardians and soldiers under the direct command of the Earth Prince, Endymion." Rinoa explained. "I am told from my contacts in Japan, that they turned in to four different stones according to their names... Jadeite, Kunzite, Zoisite, and Nephrite at one point after the defeat of the one who ensnared them on the path to darkness before they were able to find Prince Endymion."

"Earth Prince... Shittenou..." Blinked Annie. "That sounds familiar."

"It should. And you'll get to meet them once I deem you're ready to go to Japan, where the Gathering is occurring. But for now... we must turn back to the subject at hand." Rinoa looked at the stone of Morganite in Hillary's right hand. "We'll need to keep it safe, and undetectable by the enemy."

"Why? That witch tried to kill us." Annie protested.

"I agree... I do not see what is so great about keeping some weird stone if it contains a human spirit or something that could spy on us." Elizabeth had her arms crossed.

Rinoa blinked, thinking carefully how to word it.

"I'm not sure if she is with the enemy anymore, Senshi. Her power might come in handy at some point though, for our protection, and our mission. I have the feeling that more is to come if she had any friends. And we need to be ready. If she didn't want to be here, in stone form or not, she would've left by now. Please trust me on this one, we need to keep the stone here for now, at least." She said finally.

The four girls looked uneasily at each other, but in the end, Christina nodded. She noticed the girls tended to turn to her to make the final decision on big issues lately. She wasn't sure how she felt about being the unspoken, nominated 'decision maker' of the group, otherwise called a leader, yet. She'd never been in charge of anything before, and hoped she wasn't misreading their actions.

* * *

><p>It was math class the very next morning. Christina sat in dread, waiting for the exam papers to be handed out.<p>

"Now, some of you did better than others, admittedly. But I KNOW we can push ourselves to do our best." The teacher said, pausing at Christina's desk. He noted the look of dread on her face. "Don't look so gloomy, you didn't do as bad as usual, Miss Bartell." He added, handing her the paper.

_keeeeh?! _She stared in shock at the score. _My first C in math?!_

"All right! I won't be grounded this weekend!" She burst out, getting a few giggles from some of the other girls in the class.

"And I hope to continue to see improvement. Now... as for you, young lady..." He turned to the girl who had laughed at her exclamation.

Audrey held out her hand, expecting the paper and praise.

"If you would spend less time picking on your fellow classmates, and flirting with boys, and more time studying, you would be able to do better in math." He said with a frown that didn't seem to reach her until she saw the D on her paper.

"What? I did worse than HER?" She couldn't believe her rotten luck. Not that she had studied all that hard, but still. There were many giggles surrounding her, but they were more of a 'vengeance is sweet' type of giggle than the nasty, almost guilty ones they'd given Christina.

Once the teacher had given out all the reports, with praise or lecturing, he stood back at the front of the class.

"Now, as a result of many of your less than satisfactory testing scores, I've decided to give you all personal tutors. I've already alerted your families, and you are to stay half an hour after school before going to your various clubs. It is very important that you do well in math this year, seeing as you have your SAT tests to take near the end." He said as the door to the classroom opened, and several upper class students walked in.

Christina's eyes landed on Eric at once, and when he spotted her she blushed brilliantly and looked back at her teacher. Annie was also in that group, and grinned when she saw Eric looking confused at the reaction.

"Ok, now," The teacher held up a clip-board with a list attached to it. "I'm going alphabetically here."

Which meant, Christina realized, that she would be up sooner than later to be paired with her tutor. She hoped it was either Eric or Annie, at least she knew them. Though she wondered with Annie's vibrant personality- to say the least- how good of a teacher she would be.

After a few minutes- during which Christina had her fingers crossed under her table- Christina heard her name called.

"Bartell, Christina... You are to be paired with... Mr. Eric Hendricson." The teacher said, not knowing that as soon as he said Eric's first name that Christina's mental self was doing a sort of victory jig. She glance over at Audrey, who was giving her the middle finger underneath her desk. Christina stuck out her tongue, and noticed quite a few other girls were glaring in a mixture of anger and jealousy at her as Eric waved kindly.

Eric saw the reaction that the tutor pairing had brought about by many of the other girls in the class, and it only dawned on him then how popular he must appear to be to the younger students. Although privately he was glad it was Christina, than anyone else even if it would be rather awkward due to the dreams he'd been having of her lately.

Once all the tutors had been assigned, the teacher went on to announce that they would be spending the rest of the class getting to know them, and where the students were in their current math levels...

* * *

><p>Two figures stepped out of a yellow ferrari, one tall with short boyish dirt-blond hair, and eyes the same color of the sky. This person wore a plain white shirt, and khaki slacks, with tan shoes. The other was shorter than him, with middle of the back length aquamarine hair, and deep aquamarine eyes. She wore a simple knee length dress, and carried a purse.<p>

"Haruka... Are you sure this is the place?" Asked Michiru. "This is where Setsuna located the new Star Seeds?"

"Yes, according to the G.P.S. we're right on target... Though admittedly, it just looks like an ordinary, dried up wasteland. Why anybody would want to live here is beyond me." Haruka sighed, looking around at the scenery. Compared to Tokyo, the town of Okanogan seemed like a village to him.

"Come on, it's not that bad. I think it's nice and quiet." Michiru gave a graceful smile. They already had a hotel in the town while they were here, under the guise of performing at the local theater for a week in the evenings. The hotel was rather close to everything, even if the nearest super market was a twenty minute drive to the neighboring town. Michiru had to admit, this slow pace was a nice break compared to the non-stop, action packed Tokyo. "Setsuna said there were six Star Seeds in this town-"

"So we just need to investigate if that is true, and make contact. Find out if they are the enemy or not." Haruka cut across her as they started to explore the small town.

* * *

><p>It was half an hour later, and Eric was having a tricky time figuring out how best to teach Christina math, until he figured out if he broke the problem solving down, step by step, and even then he had to repeat a few things. He knew she wasn't stupid, there was a certain intelligence in her eyes that he'd seen there before, since he'd known her. He just felt that she'd somehow developed a wall on math.<p>

Christina's brain felt like it had been wrung and dried ten times over by the time lunch came around, and she looked completely frazzled by the time she caught up with Hillary and Annie in the lunch line.

"What's up with you?" Blinked Hillary, and Annie giggled.

"Let's just say she's been through the wringer in math class." Annie explained. "Although I must say you did better than usual, Christi." She added.

"Oh?" Hillary looked between the two, regretting the fact that they didn't all share the same classes.

"Well... having prince charming being her tutor helped her focus levels a little." Annie couldn't restrain her giggles at all at this point, while Christina's face turned bright red.

"Annie...!" Christina's voice was unusually high in her embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, you like him and you know it!" Even Hillary got in on the act of lightly teasing their friend.

"And what about MoonShadow Knight? You like him too, eh?" Annie had an evil smirk.

Something about the teasing annoyed Christina, and not just in a 'let's have fun' sort of way. They'd been angry at her when she went to Spokane and did a couple extra 'cases' as a Sailor Senshi, now they were teasing her like this?

"That's enough, Annie." Hillary sensed danger on the horizon as something seemed to click in her friend's personality. It was like Elizabeth mentioned before at the Command Center- almost as though someone else was living through Christina's body, and every now and then something would happen that would trigger that other self to flicker through. A much darker, more... vengeful, or evil self that was lying dormant.

In that split second moment, however Christina seemed to go back to normal once Hillary had stopped Annie from teasing her too much.

"Come on, let's go find a seat!" Christina's behavior baffled her friends, after they had gotten their lunch.

"I think we'd better put a lid on the teasing for now." Hillary whispered to Annie, who looked rather disconcerted about what they'd seen.

She thought that this day was too good to be true. When they got to their Physical Education class, which was to be held outdoors, it was not only the last day of Archery, but the new start of something she wasn't really fond of- dancing in groups. Their teacher was talking to them, after seeing the look on their faces.

"Don't look at me like that." She waggled a finger at them. "Dancing has been proven by both professionals AND celebrities to be good on the heart. So, for this assignment I will be putting you all in groups of four. And then you will nominate a leader to help choreograph a dance and song- the song which will have to be approved by me." She added, the last part received many groans of dismay, and mutinous glares from some of the cheerleaders' group. "The winning group will perform in front of the entire school. As a result of all of this, I have also worked together with other teachers, and each pair of students from my class will be teamed up with two from the Junior class."

"So long as we're not teamed up with Audrey." Christina whispered in Hillary's ear, to which Hillary nodded fervently.

Their wish came true. In fact, they were teamed up with Annie, and another girl that Christina hadn't met yet, but heard a lot about from Elizabeth, Cathy Lockwood, Elizabeth's older sister. Cathy wasn't nearly as shy as her younger sibling, with shoulder length platinum blond hair that was held back in a French braid, she appeared to be the only 'ordinary' girl in their group once they found a corner to 'hold a conference' as Hillary had stated.

"Ok, so first she said we need to nominate a leader. Who here likes to dance the most?" Hillary suggested a means of electing a leader for their group. Since they didn't know much about Cathy yet apart from a few things Elizabeth said the other day, she felt it was the best means of finding a leader.

"Umm... I like dancing, but I don't wanna be the leader." Christina said in a small voice.

"How bout me?" Asked Cathy. "I've been taking dance lessons since I was about six." She said.

"Any objections Annie?" Hillary looked at her older sister, who shook her head.

"Nope."

"Well, that was easy." Grinned Hillary, as nearby, Audrey had already elected herself as the leader of her group.

"Hey, I do have an idea though. Why don't we trump one up on the others and learn the karaoke of the song that we pick?" Christina's mind suddenly sprang in to action.

"You know, that's actually not a bad idea!" Cathy said, blinking in surprise.

"You're kidding, Sheppard? The brainless wonder over there actually came up with something?" Audrey said, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"What's so amazing about that? I'm sure you could come up with something if you didn't have your ego so needlessly inflated." Snarled Annie.

"What was that you punk? You dare say something like that to the most popular girl in school?" Retorted Audrey.

"Yes, I do dare! Why don't YOU Try picking a song and having your group do the karaoke against us?" Annie flipped her hair in a rather unusually imperial move for her.

The teacher nearby was watching with interest what was going on between Audrey's group, and Christina's group. She hadn't intended on this competition to be a source of fire in the class, but it did seem to be kindling a sort of inner class competition as an unintended result.

"And we'll trump one up on you also." Audrey said. "Our group has some pretty talented musicians. We'll find out who's the best musically talented by the time this contest is over! I can play the guitar, which is more than YOU can say!" She added as though that put her a step above Annie's group.

"Well, I can play the violin and piano." Christina said rather shyly. It wasn't a well known fact that she loved musical instruments in that school.

"Really?" Audrey snorted skeptically.

"And I can play the flute!" Hillary piped up.

"Ooh... I can play the saxophone!" Annie said.

"And we've got our own dance instructor too!" Christina pulled Cathy in to the group, and she looked rather embarrassed at being singled out.

"Fine. It's settled, our group versus yours! Winner take all!" Audrey grinned. "I've got a Guitarist, dancer, singer, and drummer in this group. And if WE win... Bartell has to give up her math tutor for mine!"

"What? That wasn't part of the deal!" Christina's face went bright red.

"It is now, take it or leave it." Audrey huffed.

"Fine. In a few weeks time, you'll see what we can do." Hillary said after a small pause, to which Audrey looked surprised.

"Come on, girls." Annie said, steering Hillary, Christina and Cathy away.

"What's with the looks on THEIR faces now? They're the ones who challenged us!" Christina huffed.

"I bet those lowlifes didn't expect us to agree to their terms of this foolish contest." Cathy brushed some of her blond hair behind her shoulders again.

"Well, it should be fun learning some new things though!" Christina's opinion on the matter surprised them all.

Hillary blinked. Just how many sides to her personality were there? And why did it seem like at times that there was someone else living through her? It baffled Hillary as they got to work on figuring out the first steps of their project.

* * *

><p>She was fast asleep, her head on the table as her breathing was slow and soft. She could hear someone calling her name, someone she knew rather well. But she couldn't see him through the fog. Why was there always this fog here?<p>

"Christina..."

"Nnn..."

"Christina...!"

Still she slept on. Until a wave of ice cold water was dumped over her. Then she jumped up, and back away from the table.

"What the heck!" Christina's voice was rather high and shaky as she landed on her back end on the floor. "Couldn't you poke or something?" She asked as she shivered. A purple blanket was tossed over her head.

She was in the Command Center, with Hillary, Annie, Elizabeth and Rinoa and had apparently fallen asleep as Rinoa was discussing something important, and related to their mission.

"We tried that." Annie sighed, thinking she was now a big sister to two people by the looks of it.

"We've been trying to wake you up for more than twenty minutes. Honestly, you've been pushing yourself too hard when you start falling asleep during our meetings."

"Well, we've got that Archery contest coming up, and then there's that contest in Phys-Ed. It's a lot of work, adding that to being a Champion of Justice." She yawned, pulling the purple blanket tight around her.

It had been three days since that confrontation with Audrey in front of two other classes and their teacher, and they'd been working hard to balance their life ever since. But it was taking a toll on Christina, who was admittedly not used to such long days yet. She had noticed, however, that her arms were getting stronger with the Archery three times a week after school. And in between, the dancing and 'tuning up' of her violin skills. She spent the night at Annie and Hillary's house two days ago so they all could have a reasonable place to meet with Cathy, and work on their Physical Education project. It was the first time she'd ever had a sleep over with a bunch of people, since she was normally considered the 'weird one' and disliked by many of her school before she made her friends.

Today however, was a regular meeting with Hillary, Annie, Elizabeth and Christina in the Command Center.

"Now, as I was saying before Christina fell asleep on us..." Rinoa glared. "The enemy has been unusually quiet since Morgani was defeated. We haven't heard one squeak from them since. And that is not necessarily a good thing. It could mean they are planning something. Something big, and we just need to be vigilant, and report anything odd or suspicious that we see."

"I can help you there."

Said a voice that apparently was coming from nowhere.

The following reactions made the source of the voice give a rather audible chuckle. The cat, Rinoa, jumped on the spot, her calico hair standing on end. Hillary, the brains of the group, spun around on the spot nearly knocking over her glass of juice. Annie pretty much fell sideways out of her chair, thus knocking over Elizabeth who was sitting on her right. While Christina started to choke on the bit of salad she'd been munching on after she woke up.

Once the reactions subsided, however, transparent form of Morgani rose from the tea-tree dish that held the Morganite Crystal.

And after that, their reactions turned in to almost outraged shock, which Morgani supposed was to be expected considering she had only ever tried to kill them before.

"Please, let me explain. This is the only way I can communicate with you now, until the other members of my team are purified." She said.

Hillary and Annie stared. She looked different. More... human. But they still couldn't hide the fact that her sudden appearance from the dish startled them.

"Please, do not be afraid. I am on your side now, Sailor Senshi." The figure bowed before jumping lightly off the table, reminding Christina of a ghost, or something similar. But less creepy. "I've been watching you since I was brought here. And I must say, you are not the people that the Lady Rubiella has painted you out to be."

"Rubiella?" Blinked the girls, but Rinoa looked shocked and alarmed.

"Don't tell me it's Rubiella who is behind all of this?" Rinoa said suddenly.

"Yes. But it is not her true form. She has possessed another in order to be able to function. I do not know the full story, but I believe she tricked Jessica into thinking she is someone who she's not to get what she needed." Nodded Morgani.

"Please, who is this Rubiella person?" Asked Elizabeth, looking just as stumped as the others.

"A very, very VERY dangerous woman from the time of the Silver Millennium." Rinoa replied, her amber eyes narrowed in foreboding. "Back in those days, she tried overcoming the Egyptian Empire, and nearly succeeded, with deceit and lies. Luckily the Pharaoh at the time saw through her before she seduced him. So the record books of Egypt do not have her recorded. They thought it was just a small enough event that they considered that it wasn't worth recording. But after Egypt, Rubiella went for a much bigger prize... Queen Beryl's scepter, and her army, which at the time was poised to take control over the Earth. While Queen Beryl remained under command of her army, she did, however, see what she would have to gain keeping someone like Rubiella under her control. Rubiella was poised to be second in command of the Moon and Earth once Beryl took over. Before Queen Serenity stepped in."

Christina blinked. It sounded like Rinoa was leaving something out of this story, and the others were too entranced by it to notice.

"But where does this Jessica person come in? How did Rubiella find her?" She asked.

"Jessica is Beryl's daughter." Rinoa said to many gasps. "That is the only reason I can guess that Rubiella managed to track her down, through the genetic link between her and Beryl. But she was also not deceived by her own mother. Jessica who knew at the time Beryl was obsessing over Endymion, the Earth Prince, and building her army, decided to leave her mother, and Queen Hera of Jupiter took her in, giving her Honorary Senshi Status, as Sailor Thebes, to aid the four Senshi already in charge of guarding her daughter, the Second Royal Princess of Jupiter and heir to her throne, Calysta." She said. "Which made the Princess' Royal Guard of four, a number of five. Not counting Calysta herself."

"So... Rubiella is possessing the daughter of a former enemy to the World, only because she knows Beryl's daughter is capable of gaining an audience? And if we free this girl from Rubiella's control..." Hillary reeled off what they'd been talking about just now.

"Right. Once we find our fourth Senshi, then we can take on Rubiella, free Thebes, and find our Goddess of Death. Who is also our Princess." Nodded Rinoa. "For you see, Hera was married to Zeus, who's brother was Hades, the lord of the Underworld. And he chose his favorite niece to be the Goddess of Death, or his representation of death, in the physical world. Not many were aware of this fact that Princess Calysta was also the Goddess of Death, the one who often ferried souls to her Uncle's realm. The two are one and the same... Heiress to the throne of Jupiter, and Goddess of Death. Once we find the Princess, we find the Goddess. But first, we need to know our enemy's plans." She turned back to Morgani.

"She plans on finding this Goddess as well, and taking the Crystal of Jove for herself. The rest of this I have guessed from what she has told myself and my comrades. But she plans on using the Crystal to kill everyone... before destroying the Earth and Moon. I can only guess that this is the beginning of her plans for the universe. I remembered that before I became her puppet, that we heard of another group of Sailor Senshi... Sailor Moon, and her Silver Imperium Crystal." Morgani answered Rinoa's unasked question.

"Yes. Sailor Moon possesses the Imperium Crystal... And she is the Senshi of Rebirth, or Life. If Rubiella finds out about her as well as the Goddess of Death... no doubt that we would all be doomed." Nodded Rinoa.

"So... What you're saying is that we need to defeat Rubiella before we can meet the other Senshi, because if Rubiella finds out about them- not that they aren't famous or anything already- that we're all doomed." Sighed Hillary.

"No pressure or anything, girls. But the sooner we find our next Senshi, the sooner we can confront Rubiella and free Thebes." Nodded Rinoa. Then she turned to Morgani. "Thank you for your help. Now we know exactly what needs to be done. Hillary, I want you to scan the town and surrounding areas for any points of negative energy that shouldn't be there. If we can find the enemy before they strike, perhaps we'll be getting somewhere. Because right now, we're getting nowhere fast."

"On it." Hillary nodded, and a curious Morgani floated over to watch as Hillary started typing like mad on her computer.

"I don't know who Rubiella would send out next after me, so I'm afraid I'm of no help there." She said, leaning over.

"Nonsense. Your information has been very helpful already, Morgani." Rinoa reassured the woman. "And once you have your full strength back, then you'll be of even more help to us."

To which Morgani smiled, feeling a little shy and awkward about being so helpful to the people she once considered as sworn enemies. But she hoped the feelings would pass in time.

"All I know, is that my brain hurts..." Christina mumbled, thinking about everything that Rinoa just explained to them, and Morgani had stated. Rubiella was really Jessica, and it sounded like the Sailor Senshi was being possessed by two beings that they would have to fight once they were released? And if the beings found the Goddess of Death and the Crystal of Jove, then they'd practically be all doomed to destruction by the sound of it.

* * *

><p>He hadn't sensed any sign of Morgani's presence since he infiltrated this stupid, backwater town. And he couldn't believe that a crystal powerful enough to wipe out the population of an entire planet existed here. But then, he'd seen many incredible things since he'd agreed to follow Rubiella in her quest. Wolfani just needed to focus on revenge, and finding the Crystal for his master. Who didn't seem to mind that he was using vengeance to fuel his own crusade.<p>

Staring out at the vast hilly surroundings beyond the mansion that was their base, he frowned as he thought about everything. He hadn't even gotten the chance to tell Morgani how he really, truly felt about her before the Sailor Senshi took her away to God knows where.

Raising the same crystal as before, he concentrated on the Crystal of Jove and it's possible location, to show him where to go. If his Mistress had the Crystal, she could make the Sailor Senshi suffer for their actions.

_Find it... find the true location of one of the most powerful Crystals in the Solar System! Find the Crystal's host, so that I can smite those who stole the one I love from me!_ He thought fiercely, focussing now only on the Crystal that his Mistress sought so determinedly.

* * *

><p>He couldn't understand why anyone would want to live in this town that was slowly withering away, even in a booming economy. James Goldsmith, possibly the most unlucky police officer in the state was sitting in what could be the only decent sandwich shop in the town that had an air of an old diner from the sixties. While he waited for his order, he poured over papers regarding the most recent cases that Sailor Callisto and her team of heroines had solved across the town recently. Including breaking up a gang fight at the local high school just the other day before he and his own team of police officers could even get to the building.<p>

Yes, a lot of people were praising the town's own group of super heroines. Except for James. Who, as long as the heroines ran free, was certainly hearing about it from the Police Chief that sent him to this town to recruit them in the first place. He was no closer to finding out who the so called Sailor Senshi were, than they were to putting a man on Pluto. And then add to the fact that the group seemed to be expanding, that made his job even more difficult.

"Here you go, Mr. Goldsmith." The waitress said, setting his sandwich and bowl of soup down on the small, round table for him next to his coffee.

"Thanks Janice." Replied James, setting his paperwork aside to take a bite of his sandwich as his stomach growled at him.

"So, trying to catch the Sailor Senshi?" Asked the waitress, seeing what was on his papers. "That's gotta be a tough job, seeing as they only appear when someone is in genuine danger."

James shot the waitress a look that would shut the normal person up.

"What?" Shrugged Janice. "All I'm saying, is that they're genuine heroines this town looks up too! Especially this place. Because after they started appearing, we've seen business rise exponentially due to tourists coming through town trying to see if they couldn't be part of the craze and predict where the Senshi will appear next, and which ones. It's not so easy, predicting where they'll be, is it?"

"No, especially considering they seem to be fighting an evil that is above the police force." Admitted James with a shrug as he continued to eat. "Even the Chief where I'm from says not to directly interfere if it looks like a battle that we'd be outdone in, but to capture them if possible. Not to harm them, or anything, but see if we can't recruit them. Having a group of genuine heroines, according to her, would give the police force in the state a good moral boost. But I'm just not sure about that." He added with a frown. He didn't dare voice the fact that he thought of those girls as just attention seeking kids who didn't know when to stop and leave police business to police business.

The waitress merely smiled sweetly before she was called back by the manager to get to work and stop flirting with the customers. James greeted the silence with gratitude as he went back to his own work.

He frowned, returning to his work. How was he supposed to catch four heroines who only show up when the trouble that's occurring is well above the normal type of trouble? Then as though a lightning bolt had struck him, he realized something. He remembered seeing a group of three girls walking around town with faces almost exactly like the Senshi, except for the fact that the Senshi's disguises were rather well thought out, with much longer hair, and completely unique outfits for each of them. Yet they were always together. Even after the fourth member apparently joined them. Were they secretly recruiting for something? He'd have to keep an eye on the group of civilians, to see if there was any correlation between them and the Sailor Senshi. And make sure not to mention anything about his suspicions to his Chief until he was certain of the facts.

* * *

><p>Christina and Rinoa were waiting outside the Apple Valley Inn after their meeting, looking around for her Aunt's van and noting that she was rather late. Finally, after she nearly went inside to use the pay phone to call the various places she knew her Aunt frequented in town, she saw the van pulling up. But instead of her Aunt in the driver's seat it was...<p>

"Uncle Dan!" Christina's squeal of excitement caught Eric's attention from inside the main part of the Inn and he glanced over to see Christina's arms wrapping around her uncle while still managing to hold onto her cat. "I didn't know you were back! I thought you were supposed to be back a couple weeks ago from the fishing trip!" She said.

"Well, things were going so well the team and I decided to stay a little longer. Managed to catch twice our quota, had to make a couple trips with blue crab. So this spring break, we'll be able to go on a family vacation. Not to mention, you can take all your friends too." Dan said. He looked thinner than she remembered, but his brown hair was rather prominent, his green eyes looking down at his niece with quiet joy.

"Sweet." Christina's smile was bigger than Rinoa had seen in a while.

"Come on, let's go back in for some ice cream. I seem to recall they have excellent tin roof sundae." Dan added, and Christina's arm wrapped around her Uncle's like a clingy child would do to her father.

"Hey, thought you were headed home?" Eric asked when they reached the counter.

"Brief change of plans." Christina replied. "Oh, by the way, Eric this is my Uncle Dan, Uncle Dan, my friend Eric." She made some rather quick introductions between the two.

"Friend, eh?" Dan raised an eyebrow at the young blond man who blushed at the rather quizzical stare.

"Nice to meet you. So, what can I get you?" Eric asked rather quickly as Rinoa looked between him and Dan with a creepy stare.

"I'll have a medium tin roof sundae on a waffle cone dipped in chocolate. Christi?" Dan looked down at his niece as he pulled out his wallet from his pants pocket.

"Umm... I'll have a chocolate dipped waffle cone but with orange sherbet and chocolate fudge on mine. And Rinoa here will like a small bowl of vanilla, if that's ok?" She looked up at Dan who nodded as Rinoa's mouth started to water at the mention of her favorite ice cream.

Once they had their ice cream and were seated, Dan began to inquire his niece about everything that had been going on while he was off crab fishing off the coast of Alaska. By the time they finished, they'd covered all the topics from the town's new group of heroines, to all of Christina's new friends.

"Sounds like it's bee a busy few weeks for you. And you've got that competition from school too? Hopefully you won't work yourself too hard. Remember, all work and no play makes Christi a dull girl." Dan said as he licked some chocolate off his fingers before going to the napkins set at their table during their conversation.

"No worries, the girls and I usually come here to hang out after school while I wait for Aunt Robin to pick me up. And we usually have loads of fun here." Grinned Christina as she gave a small burp from all the ice cream.

"Well, I look forward to getting to know each of your friends during our vacation. I've already arranged things with their parents, so it's all set for us to go after school on the last day before Spring Break." Dan said, standing up once Christina and Rinoa were done with their treats. "Shall we head out?"

Nodding, Christina picked up Rinoa as she waved at Eric who- unbeknownst to them- had kept an eye on them the whole time.

* * *

><p><em>It has happened... <em>

_ It was bound to happen. _

_ But she wouldn't let it go on. It wouldn't continue like this for her. _

_ The nightmares would begin again. The cycle would repeat itself until she remembered who she was, until she accepted her destiny which would always be entwined with the shadow within. _

_ "I swore, in the Silver Millennium, that you were never going to rest in peace. That you would never know true happiness, joy and love." The voice within Christina had risen once more that night in her sleep. "I will take away everything, all those you love and adore. You have forgotten me now, but that does not mean my mission has ended. I will take away everything you hold dear, until there is nothing left but your mind, body and soul. And even then... I shall consume your spirit. Your very soul. Until only I remain." _

_ A female's laughter echoed in the dark space of Christina's mind that she currently wasn't even aware existed. Every time the shadow peeked out, one of her Senshi friends had noticed, but Christina had no memory of any of the events. That would soon change if all went according to plan. Soon, very soon she would know what it was like to suffer as she had... The shadow within the deep depths of Christina's mind swore, as she ever did, that she would find a way out of this cage. _

Christina's eyes snapped open as she gasped. It felt as though something had been holding her down by the throat, strangling every last breath from her even while she slept. Sitting up, she looked around. Nothing was there. Her room was dark, all the lights were off. It was still night out, judging by the stars glimmering at her through her bedroom window. Rinoa was peacefully slumbering away in her little, fluffy kitty bed in a patch of moonlight. Then Christina realized her throat was parched as she smacked her lips, so she reached over for the currently empty glass of water on her nightstand next to her bed, and walked quietly out of her room, across the hall to the bathroom and filled it, thinking about the dream she'd been having. It had actually been more like a nightmare than a dream.

As she took a long drought from her glass, she thought about what it all meant. But even while she was thinking about it, the details were slipping from her. Like if she was trying to hold the finest beach sand in her hands, with the granules overflowing.

After wiping her mouth on the purple cloth next to the sink she returned to her room, not giving the strange nightmare another thought, taking a few moments to stroke Rinoa's soft, colorful fur, and making her way back to bed to curl up under her covers, with the new giant stuffed purple and lilac rabbit her Uncle had brought home for her. She never mentioned it to anyone, not even her friends yet, but she had a love of stuffed animals. Particularly ones that she could curl up to at night, when she was all alone and reminded every night that it was her Aunt and Uncle who gave her kisses goodnight, not her parents. And that she was far from a normal fourteen year old girl.

Rinoa had pretended to be asleep the whole time Christina was up and about for her nightly drink of water, but once her Mistress had gone back to bed, the guardian cat perked her head up to look at the girl with an expression of pity. Even though nothing truly terrible happened yet as a Senshi, no doubt she still had nightmares about the car wreck so long ago during which she lost her whole family. Rinoa was proud of the way her Mistress did her best to hold up her head, taking everyday with strides suited to someone her own age, not someone who had faced a lifetime's worth of suffering already, before her fifteenth birthday clocked around. But Rinoa hoped that they would find their Goddess soon, and the Crystal of Jove. That would certainly lessen the burdens on Christina's shoulders. Yet Rinoa was no closer to finding their Goddess or the Crystal of Jove than they were completing their team. There was still one more member to be found before they could take on Rubiella and free Sailor Thebes from her entrapment. By then, the guardian feline hoped the Sailor Senshi would be strong enough to handle all they were expected to. Their challenges certainly weren't like those the royal family of the Moon faced over in Japan.

* * *

><p>He'd been meditating all night with the Searching Crystal. The stone that was going to help him find a much more powerful bit of rock. A rock that had the power over death itself! If you were the master of the Crystal of Jove, you were the Master of Death. And that was why his Mistress sought it so terribly much. Once she had the Crystal of Jove, she could take on the one who held the Silver Imperium Crystal. Then she would be the Master of Life and Death.<p>

Wolfani smirked. Rubiella hadn't told him any of this, but he prided himself on being one of the more clever members of his group. Even more so than Morgani. He covered the whole town, and surrounding areas in his sweeping with the crystal, hovering above like a dark shadow amongst the starlit night skies of the Okanogan Valley. The cool breeze up at this height kept things from being too uncomfortable for him that night as the dark aura swept over the town.

While he couldn't understand why anyone would like to live in such a small place, it did make the search slightly easier than it otherwise would be if they were searching in a big city with millions, possibly billions to search through. Once the light passed over the school, the crystal started flashing at him.

He knew the school was empty right now, but there had to be something to this. Each time Morgani had been close to reaching their goal, it was at the school. And each time they attacked at the school, the Sailor Senshi appeared.

Frowning, he vanished and reappeared inside the cafeteria room of the school, where the main stage was. He knew enough about this room that it could be turned into an auditorium or concert hall when need be. And that soon, his target would be here. Then he could not only please his Mistress, but possibly seek his vengeance upon the ones who took the love of his life away from him.

Looking around, he saw the stage, where all the instruments sat waiting to be picked up again. There was also the microphone, which seemed rather lonely without someone to speak into it or use it in general. He decided then and there which Mannequin he would use once his target appeared.

"Bunko..." He muttered, his voice deep and echoing in the large room.

From his shadow that reflected on the floor, the mannequin appeared. First the head, then the torso, arms, and finally the legs of the mannequin. This mannequin had a mow-hawk style hair cut, dyed cyan blue with ultramarine highlights in the front. The sleeves were open bell sleeves, with a v-neck line, and a Kimono that had a miniskirt. This mannequin was barefooted, and the skin was alabaster white with dead, open ice blue eyes.

"Bunko, I will need you to hide yourself in that microphone until my target arrives. Do not do anything before then, no matter how impatient you become. We cannot afford to mess this up. Understood?" He snapped.

"Understood, my master." Bunko bowed in a rather mechanical fashion before vanishing. He watched as Bunko stood momentarily in front of the microphone, then seemed to be sucked inside the strange piece of human technology.

If anyone could get the job done, it was his trusted Bunko. Smirking, he took a few paces back.

"Remember, Bunko. Do not act until our target has arrived." He reminded the mannequin, now possessing the microphone on the stage. Then he too had vanished. He would keep an eye on the school, so he would know when to appear before the stage.

* * *

><p>She was yawning as she stood on the drive, waiting for the bus. While she was grateful for the warm weather, it still didn't make waiting for the bus at six thirty in the morning any easier for Christina. Why her Aunt or Uncle couldn't help her out by driving her to school once in a while was beyond the grumbling teenager. No one would be able to tell she lived a double life as one of the town's heroines at the moment. Wearing a purple and pink w-neck t-shirt with pink and mulberry colored peace symbols on the front, blue jeans, a light blue jean jacket to keep her warm in case of the cool morning breeze passing by, and gray and pink tennis shoes. She wore her purple diamond-shaped earrings, and her hair was back in a pony-tail. Her backpack slung over her shoulders, she rubbed her still tired eyes as she looked around for any signs of the school bus. This was why she hated Mondays.<p>

"Stop your grumbling, and wait patiently." Rinoa advised the girl. She had recently taken to keeping Christina company every morning at the stop sign, because it meant that with her powers of memory modification, she'd be able to keep a more vigilant watch on not only her Mistress, but on the other Senshi as well.

"I still don't see why you feel you've gotta follow me everywhere I go now." Christina's raised eyebrows got Rinoa chuckling.

"Because I am your guardian, and need to be on the alert for anything suspicious or unusual, Christina." Replied the cat as the sound of a vehicle approaching caught their attention.

"Finally." Grumbled the still groggy Christina as she saw the bus within sight at last. It was going to be a long day. But at least it wasn't too terribly cold anymore.

She picked up Rinoa, who used her own special brand of power to get the bus driver, and everyone else on the bus, to think that she had always been a normal feature on the school bus. But even with her powers, Rinoa still wouldn't be able to talk while they were traveling. The kids would still freak out if they ever heard a cat that could speak the human language. Christina found an empty seat towards the middle of the bus, took off her backpack, and sat down, Rinoa on her lap as the bus driver waited for her to sit somewhere. Then the bus turned around, and headed back towards town.

Ignoring the other students, as per her normal routine, Christina's hand was absentmindedly stroking Rinoa's fur. It was a mutual understanding between her and her classmates on the bus. She wasn't what one would call bosom friends with any of them, but they would leave her alone so long as she didn't say or do anything to socialize with them. At least now she had Rinoa for company on the seemingly long ride to school every morning. It made the ride slightly less lonely for her, even if she tended to gripe about it while waiting for the bus.

She found herself catching a light nap on the way over, and waking with a jolt when the bus finally came to a halt in front of the school. Rinoa jumped off her lap, blending with the crowd of students on the bus as per her usual routine, and slipped through unnoticed.

After that, her day seemed to speed up, until her favorite class currently, Phsyical Education arrived right before lunch. Today, there was a surprise, as their practices for the competition would be overseen by two of the three judges. Two of the judges were from Japan, but their English was so good that the only way you could tell they were Japanese was by their looks.

* * *

><p>When Haruka and Michiru weren't searching for the source of the Senshi power they sensed throughout the Valley, they were busy preparing for the school competition as special guests. For them, this also served as a secret vessel for their search. If anything happened during the competition that would attract the source of the Senshi Star power, they would be there to confirm Setsuna's suspicions.<p>

Standing with the teacher, the two looked at the crowd of apparently normal students in their gym clothes getting ready to form their groups and get to practicing. Certainly the main attractions, however, were Audrey's group and Cathy's group. With the competition between the two groups on their own, each trying to out do the other, the energy levels were certainly high and interests peeked when they at last moved to the stage so real practice could begin.

Michiru blinked when she saw the brunette with violet diamond shaped earrings picking up the violin, each of her friends in turn picking up their own musical instruments of choice. Hillary played the flute, Annie the air guitar, and Elizabeth was the electric piano keyboard as Cathy instructed each of them. Christina's warm up tune was more or less a tune of Michiru's composition that she'd learned by ear. Many of her classmates looked impressed against their wills at her apparent skill with the violin. It was a unique sound all together that Cathy's group strummed up in the end, one that they'd been practicing in secret at the Apple Valley Inn until now.

"Excellent, we're gonna crush Audrey and her team!" Cathy said at the end of their turn, setting the instruments down for the next group, which happened to be Audrey and her own friends.

"Let's see who crushes whom, eh?" Audrey gave an annoying imperial pose at her opponents on the stage before turning to her friends who had already picked up their instruments. "Ready girls?" After receiving the nods of 'yes, we're ready', the group started strumming out a tune of hard rock that lasted for a good three minutes, and as they stepped off stage, Audrey gave Christina and her friends a look which quite plainly read 'beat that'.

While it wasn't their turn yet, Christina's group was ready to return their 'favor' on the stage as the audience continued to judge the performances.

Haruka and Michiru were nearby the whole time, watching each group but not sensing anything out of the ordinary that whole class period, but there was something intriguing about the brunette with the diamond earrings and her group of friends that Michiru couldn't place. At the end of their practice, Michiru urged Haruka to go with her to introduce themselves to the group.

"Well done, you certainly show potential." Michiru commented, shaking the hands of Annie, Hillary, Elizabeth and Cathy before turning to Christina. She had to fight to hide her shock at sensing the same Senshi Star Seeds from this group that she and Haruka possessed. But when she shook Christina's hand, there was something even more...different than the others. Her hand was cold, ice cold even though the young girl had an excited, star-struck look on her face. It was a different energy than anything Michiru had sensed since she started helping Haruka and Setsuna care for Hotaru back in Japan. Judging by Haruka's look, she sensed the difference as well.

"Wow, Michiru-san and Haruka-san!" Christina's apparent fandom over these two figures became obvious to her friends at this point. "I've admired your musical talents for ages now."

"Indeed, you are quite skilled!" Hillary nodded.

"I do have a question, though, why did you come all the way from Japan to this backwater town?" Asked Annie, who had sensed the Senshi power from the two idols, even if she didn't know exactly what it was she was feeling from them yet.

"We were interested in seeing more of the world after our tour in Japan was over, and wanted to visit some of the smaller towns with a bit of history to them in each region of the United States." Haruka explained.

"Must be nice having the money to travel like that." Mumbled Elizabeth with envy. She was starting to see why her friends idolized these two.

"If I bring one of your CDs, would you be willing to sign it for me?" Christina asked once she worked up the nerve.

"Of course, bring it tomorrow and we'll sign it." Michiru said with an elegant, kind smile.

* * *

><p>By the end of the day, Michiru and Haruka were in no doubt that the girls in Christina's group were something special. The five were no doubt Sailor Senshi, and Christina herself had to be something even more than just a Senshi. It would take time, though, to determine what exactly that difference was. While they discussed keeping a closer eye on the group, Michiru brought up the strange but entirely normal girl. They were in conversation over their wrist communicators with Setsuna over in Japan, who was currently at their home with Hotaru after a long day of work at the Astronomy Facility.<p>

"When I looked into her eyes for very long, it was like I was staring in to the very depths of Hell itself. She was so cold to the touch too." Michiru said.

"There's something unusual about those Sailor Senshi. We didn't see them transform yet, but there's no mistaking that aura which surrounds them." Haruka agreed.

Setsuna frowned, deep in thought for several moments before she spoke again.

"Continue watching them, I have to do a bit more research before I know for sure if our suspicions are correct. But the balance of our world, and even our future could be at stake if something goes wrong with them right now." She warned. "Don't let them know that you are on to them, and their secret. Their guardian has gone to great lengths to hide them from their enemies. But if they are attacked or are in danger, I think I don't have to say that you need to help them."

Haruka and Michiru looked at each other. They didn't have to question Setsuna's judgement calls, Setsuna being much older than them, apart from being the Guardian of the Gates of Time and Space. She had a knowledge that was often beyond even these two.

* * *

><p>Finally, the day of the competition arrived. Bunko, who had laid in wait on the stage was eager to prove himself to his Master, Wolfani. With all the people pouring their heart and soul into this evening of performances, it would not be hard for Bunko to have the energy to attack. To strike once the room was filled, strike once things were locked down so no one could flee. Not only would he steal the souls of those performing, he would steal the souls of those in the audience. With all the work everyone had been putting into this event, he was certainly going to get more than what his Master initially requested. He might even be promoted to something more than just a henchman. At least, that was Bunko's hope if everything went according to pan.<p>

* * *

><p>Haruka and Michiru were also more than prepared in case anything should happen that evening, as the citizens of the town, families and friends of those performing in this competition filed into the cafeteria-turned-auditorium, they were the opening act of the night and would announce the winners of this contest.<p>

After the doors were locked down, the class was ready behind the curtains, Haruka and Michiru took the stage. Considering that not many people in this town were aware of Japanese artists or race car drivers, they got a rather warm and polite welcome that night as they announced the start and purpose of this competition. It was an American Idol of sorts, but on a much smaller scale. And to be judged by themselves and the teachers rather than the audience. The audience was mainly there for support, and to have a good time.

"So nervous..." Annie mumbled, holding her guitar with shaking hands.

"Relax, just do as good as you did in rehearsal, and there should be no problems." Cathy said casually. Not only was she a good teacher and coordinator, but also she was great at encouragement and cheering her friends on.

"I just can't wait to wipe that smirk off of Audrey's face. She's acting like she's already won this competition!" Christina's anger was practically palpable as she glared at her rival, who returned the look with one of her trademark imperial 'hair flips'.

"Hey, I think Eric managed to come!" Elizabeth was peering through a crack in the stage curtains at the audience. She had great fun in teasing her friend over her obvious crush on the blond young man who worked at the arcade.

"What?" This time both Christina and Audrey surrounded Elizabeth, who pointed him out in the crowd as the first group made their way to the stage.

"Quiet, ladies!" Their teacher called, forcing an end to their conversation as Haruka and Michiru passed by them.

* * *

><p>Rinoa was nearby in the shadows, keeping an eye on her charge, having an uneasy feeling about this night just as Haruka and Michiru did, even though she had no clue why they were truly here.<p>

The hour rolled on by, as each group did their own performance, and- in Christina's opinion- were really rather talented for being the same age as she was. Then again, this was the first time she took into account that most of the people who made her life miserable at school probably also had hobbies and talents outside the school environment as well.

"Miss Audrey, you and your group are up next!" Their teacher called.

"Well, whattaya know, we're up before you. You know, I wouldn't be at all upset if you decide to leave before we finish. We're eschewing to win this." Audrey huffed as she stalked over to her friends.

"You kidding? We're staying, and we're gonna CRUSH you, Audrey! _Crush you _I say!" Christina's rage at Audrey's over confidence was obvious, as her own friends pulled Christina's back from nearly throttling Audrey on stage.

"Chill out, girl. We don't need you in detention or in the newspapers right now!" Hillary and Annie both held her back as Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

Bunko could sense the climax of the contest as Audrey and her friends took the stage, completely confident in themselves and their ability to win as they strummed up the first beats of their song, then she started singing-

"_I...wanna... be... a star...!" _

But as all the instruments kicked in, that was when Bunko decided to act. Even though everything was already dark from most of the lights being turned off, focusing entirely on the stage, the mannequin chose to act at the middle of the song. Wires and cords shot out from underneath the microphone stand, at first unnoticed by anyone but Rinoa, who was at ground level. Then, quite suddenly, the remaining lights on the stage went out completely, and the power was nocked out.

To say there was a lot of confusion was an understatement, as people figured it was probably a normal power outage at first, no one questioned it and figured the janitor was going to fix it shortly and things were going to get right back on schedule.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Audrey snarled in a very snobbish tone of voice, like a spoiled rich girl who wasn't getting her way, she turned her head over to Christina and her friends as though trying to pin this on them for purposefully rigging this event. "I _didn't_ order a power failure! You're ruining my spotlight!"

"Hey, don't look at us!" Cathy snapped back before Christina had her say in it.

Then, as though triggered by the intensity of the emotions in the moment, the cords and cables that had shot from the microphone stand burst into a wave of electricity attacking nearly everyone in the audience, and right on the stage. The screams were filling the room, echoing back and making it sound like there were twice as many people than there really were due to the acoustics of the building.

* * *

><p>"Girls!" Rinoa said quickly as Bunko emerged from the microphone stand at the same time. "Time to transform!"<p>

"Right!" Christina, Hillary, Annie, and Elizabeth all took advantage of Cathy's distraction, and made for the nearest exit from the stage, hiding around the corner.

"Elara Moon Power-"

"Amalthea Moon Power-"

"Leda Moon Power-"

"Callisto Moon Power-"

"_Make up!" _The four girls called out at once, transforming in unison for the first time with Elizabeth as part of a member of their group.

* * *

><p>"W-what the heck are you?" Audrey asked, on her back end on the stage now, having fallen backwards as Bunko appeared out of nowhere, looking like the creepiest mannequin she'd ever seen.<p>

Bunko did not respond with his name. Instead, he responded with a statement.

"I am the one who will put an end to your pathetic lives... And draw out the Sailor Senshi that dwell here." He said, raising his hands as a puppet with strings attached, once again sending a blast of electricity down each of the cables and cords, effectively paralyzing those on the stage, and in the audience. "Your spirits are perfect for what my master needs!"

As Audrey was wrapped up in a tight bound, so tight she couldn't move, she had no chance to look around to make sure her friends were ok. But what appeared to be a bright, shining star with razor sharp edges appeared from the entrance of the school, slicing through all of the hundreds of cables, and freeing Audrey before everyone was rendered unconscious. And as the glowing star returned to its owner, everybody including Audrey, those on stage, and Bunko, turned to see the source of the attack.

"Yo, ugly! Looks like you need a lesson in not gate-crashing a school performance!" Sailor Amalthea was the one to speak as Callisto returned her tiara back to her forehead.

_The Sailor Senshi...? _Blinked Audrey in disbelief. This was the first time the group had revealed themselves in front of a large gathering such as this. Now everyone in the town would know that they were more than just a rumor started by the younger generations.

Once the lights were shining on the four Sailor Senshi, everyone could see what they looked like, and there was no longer any guessing or speculating that yes these girls were indeed very much alive, and real.

"You think you can come in here, invade this school, and talk about stealing everyone's spirits in the midst of one of the biggest contests of the semester?" Sailor Callisto demanded, in an obvious rage against this mannequin. "Think again, pal! In the name of the moon Callisto-"

"In the name of the Moon Elara-"

"In the name of the Moon Amalthea-"

"And in the name of the Moon Leda-"

"_We will punish you_!" The four Sailor Senshi said in unison.

In the crowd at the same time, the officer James had ducked below the seats as the Senshi appeared seemingly out of nowhere, then found his way to the only hallway open apart from the hallway that led to the stage. A monster, here of all places? James pulled out his cell-phone to contact his fellow officers, but something in his subconscious stopped him as he watched the Senshi confront the monster, who strangely enough drew its attention away from the crowd of hundreds of innocent bystanders.

"Elara...Shield...of..._Memories!_" Sailor Elara shouted, bringing her scythe up and down to the ground, summoning her protective shield that would keep everyone in the crowd, and behind the stage safe for a short while at least.

* * *

><p>Nobody noticed that Eric seemed to have mysteriously vanished from the crowd just moments before the shield went up, seeing that there were so many people watching the confrontation as it was. Perhaps it wasn't all too surprising to him, as he transformed into the Moon Shadow Knight, ready to leap in should Sailor Callisto come into any real danger in this fight, with no way out of the building and so many people to worry about safety-wise.<p>

* * *

><p>"We have to find a way to get sparky here into the hallway." Sailor Elara said.<p>

"Otherwise it's too dangerous to use our attacks in front of everyone, right?" Leda asked.

"Exactly." Nodded Elara, noting how quickly Leda would catch on to her ideas even though this was their first real fight together as a full-blown group.

Bunko was not thrilled at the arrival, but at the same time, they appeared right on cue. If he could capture them, or corner them, then he'd be able to kill them all and his plans would be able to move forward. Raising both his arms, in a rather mechanical fashion, the cords and cables that had been severed earlier by Callisto's Star Tiara attack were lifted from the ground. They hovered around him like a spider web in the midst of construction.

"If you think you can win against me, you are mistaken Senshi!" The mannequin shouted. And, by his command, all of the cords turned into sharp, deadly blades before shooting at the Sailor Senshi.

"Watch out!" Rinoa shouted as the Senshi dodged or jumped out of the way.

Elara was the only one to remain where she stood, her scythe held up to deflect any of the attacking blades. At one point, as her comrades gawked at her, one of the deadly cords wrapped around the blade of the scythe, which in turn she spun around so fast the normal human eye could not see what she was doing until with pure strength, she yanked Bunko right off the stage and onto the floor with a deafening crash. Even Elara blinked in shock at what she'd done.

"Woah... where'd _that _come from sis?" Amalthea felt proud of her little sister, making that apparent as she stood back up to her feet.

"Ya got me." Elara shook her head.

"Quickly, before he recovers, Callisto!" Rinoa advised.

But too late.

For a villain with such a crazy name, Bunko was surprisingly swift and agile. As Sailor Callisto raised her hands for her Phoenix Fire attack, Bunko shot yet even more of the dangerous cables and cords right at her, wrapping them around her arms, then shoulders and the rest of her body.

"Now it's time for the first of you Senshi to die!" Sneered Bunko as the Senshi and Rinoa were helpless to aid their still fresh leader in her time of utmost need.

At that exact moment, however, what appeared to be a white streak shot from the far left, slicing through all the cords that imprisoned Sailor Callisto, landing near her feet as though it had grown there.

Gasping for breath while Bunko's weapons fell to the ground useless, Callisto looked up to see the Moon Shadow Knight standing at the other end of the room.

"Now, Sailor Callisto, here's your chance! Do not let this puppet win the fight!" Declared the Moon Shadow Knight.

Bunko wasn't going to go down as easily as his predecessors. Turning his head, without turning the rest of his body- giving many in the building the creeps, his eyes narrowed in hate towards the man who interrupted him.

"I have more than one power, you know!" He snarled, before turning the rest of his body to face the audience. "I am a different caliber soldier than what you have faced previously!" Then, laughing like a maniac, Bunko stretched out his arms to their fullest extent as what appeared to be waves of black ice shooting from the palms of his hands encased first the floor, then the chairs, and finally the people themselves. "Once I electrocute them, these people's souls will belong to me, and my master!"

* * *

><p>Rinoa's jaw had dropped at the lengths this puppet was willing to go, then she was distracted by a noise behind the stage. Rushing over to see what was the commotion, who on earth could have survived that kind of attack, she saw a figure in the black ice. It was Cathy! A deep blue glow was surrounding her, protecting her from suffocating, and the heat from her aura was causing the ice to crack around her until finally, she burst free with a gasp for air, falling to her knees.<p>

"Cathy! It's Sailor Lysithea... you are Sailor Lysithea!" Rinoa leapt into the air, summersaulting on the spot and landing, with a pen similar to what she'd given the other members of her team, only the main color of this Henshin Rod was ultramarine blue, with the secondary color being that of Spring Green. The symbol at the center of the star was a small pea sized circle, with seven angled lines jutting out from all around it.

"Cathy!" Rinoa rushed over to the girl, who still was in shock and numb about what was going on.

"What? Aren't you Christina's cat? How can you talk?" She blinked.

"Never mind that," Panted Rinoa, dropping the Henshin Rod at Cathy's feet. "Take this Rod, hold it up high and shout 'Lysithea Moon Power- Make up!' Then you will be able to help the Sailor Senshi who are battling out there beyond the stage!"

Without thinking, without hesitation, Cathy grabbed the rather ordinary looking pen, held it up high, then called out the phrase that the cat had instructed her to say.

"_Lysithea Moon Power...Make up!" _

* * *

><p>The girls were dodging all the attacks that they possibly could from this monster, who revealed a brand new terror they had to face. At one point, Leda brought up her hands to fire off an attack, the words coming to her for the first time without anyone telling her what to do or say.<p>

"Leda blazing collision points!" She called out, as what appeared to be a bright flash like a meteorite streaking through the night sky shot from her hands, right at Bunko. Unfortunately she didn't have nearly the amount of experience as her comrades did, and Bunko dodged the attack. It was then that they also noticed that Elara's shield had vanished as a result of Bunko's black ice that he generated.

"Watch it!" Shouted Elara as Leda's rather powerful looking attack zeroed in on the audience, until the Moon Shadow Knight leapt in between it and the innocent, albeit currently frozen, bystanders. Withdrawing his sword, he brought the flat portion of the blade up like a batter-man at the base in baseball, then they all watched as his sword absorbed the attack right on the spot. The Knight's eyes narrowed at Bunko, who had dodged it rather well the first time. But combined with his own power, the Knight sent his sword swinging at the puppet at lightning speed.

"Cool..." Leda said, blinking as the puppet Bunko shrieked, engulfed in pure light and fire. It was almost like the meteor impact she'd watched on television in astronomy class a few weeks ago. But much, much cooler in person.

However, the ice imprisoning the audience and those partaking in the competition did not fade away. And judging by the fact that Bunko was still standing when the aftermath of the attack could be observed, it had little effect on their now rather desperate situation.

"_Lysithea Deep Sea Ice Dragon!" _

The voice caught everyone off guard, for the moment Bunko looked like he was ready to attack yet again, what looked like an ice-blue Chinese Style dragon flying at him, forcing him back with a sickening crunch into the far wall in seconds.

Then there was a whistle, and they all turned to see who had just saved them in this on going fight.

"Hey guys! Mind if I join ya?" Asked the newest member of their team.

"That voice..." Leda blinked, staring at the girl.

It certainly sounded like her older sister, but she was totally different. Her platinum blond hair was waist length, held back by a French-style Braid, the blue eyes that smiled fondly back at her were definitely Cathy's. The Senshi vest and mini skirt were ultramarine blue, while the front chest and back bows were both spring green. Her boots were ultramarine, while the trim of her gloves were also ultramarine. Just like the rest of her group except for Callisto, her pure white leotard was sleeveless. Her brooch at the center of her front chest bow was heart shaped, with the inner color being ultramarine blue, the lining around the edge being spring green, and the tear drop shaped gem in the center also being ultramarine. At her forehead was the standard golden yellow tiara, while the gem at the middle of her forehead was the same shade of blue as the rest of her outfit. Hanging from her ears was a set of three tear-drop-shaped, ultramarine blue earrings that seemed to gleam even in the limited lighting situation they were currently in.

"Sis?" Leda was still blinking at her, as though not daring to believe what she was seeing.

"You know it." Nodded Sailor Lysithea, walking over to join Elara, Amalthea, Leda and Callisto.

"Sailor Lysithea is the next member of our group," Rinoa explained proudly, knowing how hard they all were fighting as Bunko struggled to release himself from the wall.

"I don't think it's over yet..." Moon Shado Knight said, bracing himself to protect these girls, but more particularly, protect Sailor Callisto.

As though on cue, what appeared to be a golden yellow orb shooting at Bunko from the stage. Then an aquamarine sphere ripped through the ice encasing the civilians caught in the cross fire, cracking and sending shards everywhere.

"What? More of you?!" Shouted Bunko as Super Sailor Uranus and Super Sailor Neptune jumped down from the stage.

"It's your call if you want to continue this fight. You're already outnumbered and overpowered." Sailor Uranus stated.

"Wow..." Sailor Callisto mumbled. Two Senshi veterans in their midst, all the way from Japan? What were the odds of this happening in a million years?

"You know these two?" Asked Sailor Leda, who had never paid attention before to the Sailor Moon franchise or celebrities that inspired it.

"Of course, well, at least I've heard of them. The tall blond one there is Sailor Uranus... her partner is Sailor Neptune. But what they're doing here of all places I haven't the foggiest." Callisto admitted.

"Sailor Callisto, hurry! From what we've seen, your power is the only one sufficient enough for dealing the permanent final blow." Uranus looked back, indicating at once that they too were well aware of these new, much younger Sailor Senshi.

"Right!" Callisto swallowed the lump in her throat, as the audience recovered, and those on stage woke just soon enough to witness Sailor Callisto's 'Phoenix Fire Strike!' attack, which reduced Bunko- as he screamed at the top of his lungs- to a pile of dust, which vanished the moment it hit the floor.

A stunned silence followed, before ever so slowly applause seemed to build around the group. While Sailors' Neptune and Uranus were more used to fighting like this, it was apparent that Callisto and her group were not.

"We need to go..." Rinoa said. "Before they surround us, preferably."

So with flashes of blinding light, the Sailor Senshi vanished- the Moon Shadow Knight having taken advantage of everyone's distraction and disappearing before any of them once again- and returned to their civilian forms.

* * *

><p>Christina, Hillary, Annie, Elizabeth and Cathy all managed to slip back in unnoticed as the crowd was brought back under control by the teachers, Haruka and Michiru.<p>

"Wow, that was something else, wasn't it?" Asked Annie rather loudly, joining in on the conversation her classmates started up whenever the Sailor Senshi appeared lately.

Cathy was still in shock over the fact that she was a Sailor Senshi herself, as the contest resumed moments later, silence falling once more behind the curtains of the stage as Audrey and her group restarted their song after the teachers, Haruka and Michiru had a brief discussion on what they should do to continue. Looking down at her glimmering new Henshin Rod in her right hand for a few moments, she put it away in her skirt pocket.

It was as Audrey was playing her remix of the song '_I wanna be a star' _that Christina reached up to her forehead. A massive headache sent her head temporarily spinning and she swayed a bit on the spot. The sensation happened only for a few seconds, and nobody seemed to take notice from what she could tell, however. Since everybody was busy watching the stage behind the curtains.

There were a few more performances left before their group- which was last- was to take the stand. By that time, due to the fact that Bunko had attacked in the middle of the contest, it was nearly ten thirty at night.

* * *

><p>James the policeman, had taken his seat back with his wife who had come from Spokane for a visit. Having watched the battle first hand, he wondered if what was going on was well beyond anything the police could actually handle. He knew that his chief was insisting on these 'Soldiers of Justice' joining the police task force, but would that really help them? When it came down to it, the Soldiers had saved everyone in the building, with only minor damage and no casualties on the side. Though it came close, at one point, to loosing everyone in the building with that bizarre ice attack from the mannequin-like monster.<p>

When the last group of five girls came on the stage with their instruments, the crowd fell silent. The girls with the flute and guitar started their part of the song first, followed on cue by Elizabeth, and finally, Christina's violin playing. She'd spent all of her free time during the last several days mastering Michiru Kaioh's most famous violin song at the moment, which was titled "Uranus and Neptune" for this performance. Since there was no singing involved, there wasn't a need for translations in the contest program pamphlets which had been handed to everyone upon their entry. The sound of Christina's perfectly played violin filled the auditorium, surprising many of her classmates who often scorned and humiliated her on a daily basis.

While her aunt and uncle couldn't have been more proud of their niece. Not only did she seem to finally find an outlet for many of her bitter feelings towards the school, but she also seemed to be gaining more and more friends as she branched out and opened up.

At the end of the song, Christina, Hillary, Annie, and Elizabeth all took a bow before the curtains to the stage were closed as the audience gave their loudest applause yet.

"The judges will now deliberate before announcing the winner." Mrs. Hauna said over the loud speaker.

The classmates were all waiting anxiously, each group huddled together, discussing either how badly they were certain they performed, or about the most recent event that nearly derailed their entire competition. When Haruka and Michiru moved to the center of the stage, waiting for silence to fall.

"We appreciate everyone being here tonight. Even though we had a bit of an interruption, this contest was able to resume as scheduled." Haruka stated. "Everyone performed with the excellence that we've come to expect from this school, but as you know, only one group can be crowned the winner."

"The group that we, the judges chose was unique to say the least. Their ability to combine unexpected skills and talents, with a modern twist." Michiru continued.

The students behind the curtains were all incredibly nervous. Even though this had started off as an assignment by their physical education teacher, this contest turned into something much more than a simple school project.

"Ms. Cathy Sheppard, will you and your group please step forward?" Michiru said kindly, turning around as the curtains were withdrawn, revealing all the students.

To say there were many shocked faces turning in their direction was an understatement, thought Christina. No one expected the one group who chose not to have any lyrics in their song of choice to win.

"Just because you opted out of lyrics, does not mean that your song didn't have a voice." Michiru said to the five girls, who were still in a sort of dazed, stunned silence.

"Indeed. We understood the message of the song quite well, considering Michiru is the one who originally wrote it-" Haruka added in an undertone. "Your message in the song you chose spoke to us quite clearly."

"And what message was that?" Demanded Audrey in outrage. She'd put so much work into trying to bring down that upstart Christina, she thought she knew she would win right off the bat with her song of choice.

Haruka and Michiru turned to the young girl, who clearly was this group's rival.

"The message is that there is peace and tranquility in this world, while everything is constantly changing, constantly being rearranged, things that mean something to us, truly mean something to us, will stay by our side for all eternity. Love, peace, war, tranquility... They are all part of our society, our world. Even though Haruka and I come from a different country, this music that we heard from these young ladies could be understood quite plainly by the both of us." Michiru explained without raising her voice.

"That's deep... I can sorta get why you idolize these two..." Annie whispered to Christina, who nodded rather fervently in response.

"Music is a bridge between cultures and language, it can bring us together as it has on this day, and pass on a message to one another. You don't even have to be a musician or singer to understand that message, sometimes. You just need to have a pair of ears, and an open mind. Your song, for instance, spoke of a dream you must have held since you were a child... that of working towards fame, wealth and travel. While it is a bit of a selfish message, it is still a message within the song nonetheless. And the message in your music, in the very performances you all gave was what we were looking for in this contest. It wasn't just about athletics, or how loudly you could sing to a small audience. But what message you can get across." Michiru turned back to Cathy and her group that she'd helped choreograph and organize for this event. "After watching how you five came together, and pulled yourselves through this challenge, seeing the final result tonight, while watching the others put forth just as much effort... that is why we chose you five as the winners."

"Right. We'll be keeping a close eye on your development as musicians from here on out. Maybe if you get good enough, you could perform with us in Tokyo someday." Haruka added.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm learning Japanese then!" Christina's confidence that they would indeed be performing together surprised her friends, including Haruka and Michiru. She held out her hand to shake theirs, a 'I'll be seeing you again' smile planted on her face.

She didn't know yet how true that statement would become in her future, ignoring the seething Audrey who was being held back by her own friends, she took the hands of both Michiru and Haruka.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments: <strong>

And so comes an end to an incredibly long chapter. Wow it's been a while since I've written so much. The chapters in my other fics lately haven't been nearly this long. 15 pages at the max. Chapter 8 has clocked me out at nearly 30, making this story total at almost 100 pages. I've barley scratched the meat of this plot too. With my muse having returned for this story, I was finally able to get past this chapter.

After this point, it's going to start getting heavier, and darker. This is the last of the sweet, pleasant days so to speak. This isn't a sudden change or anything, I've just had this planned for a while. Going to be getting more in depth with the relationship between Morgani and Wolfani, and the relationship between Christina and her 'shadow' that she, up until now, has kept secret from everyone. Partly because she isn't even aware of its existence yet.

And... Sailor Lysithea has joined her sister at last as a Senshi! You guys noticing a theme here? So far, Annie and Hillary are both sisters, yet they are both Senshi. Elizabeth and Cathy are also sisters, and now those two are Senshi. But Sailor Callisto/Christina is an only child here.

I'm not just planning on kicking Audrey and James out of the plot either. They have a purpose which will hopefully be revealed in the near future.

I hope you guys enjoy this long-awaited chapter, and forgive me for taking so long. I've had a family crisis to handle (If you haven't heard by now by reading my other more active stories), but now with things calming down, I'm able to catch up on quite a bit.

On to Chapter Seven!


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: **

**In Destiny's Shadow **

It was late at night, and Rinoa had called the group to an emergancy meeting. Several months since Cathy joined their group, they'd been solving crimes and mysterious activities all over their little town and always staying one step ahead of the police- apparently ticking off the police chief in their town because he kept turning up and throwing a huge fit whenever they vanished before he could even speak to them. The rest of the town seemed to be quite fond of their new group of heroines, providing a great distraction for those bored with being in the middle of nowhere, or using them as a tourist attraction to get more profits back into the little town.

Things had been rather quiet on the larger scale, so Rinoa had been using this as a chance to train her girls and beef up their experience, and give them a chance to learn how to work as a group. So when they were summoned late one night for a meeting, to their surprise, they saw Morgani hovering above her crystal once more, only this time in a more solid form as though she were slowly regaining her true human form with each appearance.

With huge, ill suppressed yawns, the girls first made to the fridge to grab their sodas, teas and juices to help wake them up before Rinoa could get two words in. Then, joined Rinoa at the round table where there was still one, canary yellow chair left looking quite lonely.

"I'm sorry to wake you girls, but there's been some strange activity in town tonight. After a talk with Morgani, we decided it was best to summon you five." Rinoa stated, looking grave. Once she was sure she had their attention, she continued her discussion. "Since the days you were first awakened as Senshi, you have been solving a rash wave of crime and theivery in this town, and others. Not all of them connected to our enemy, but a little more than half were. There have been some close calls, but you've managed to come through in flying colors."

"So what's your point of this sudden, impromptu meeting?" Yawned Hillary once more, feeling rather grumpy herself. Looking around at the others, Christina's drooping eyes told her she too was in a daze, and Annie was slumped backwards in her chair as though she wanted nothing more than to get back to bed. Elizabeth was fighting to keep her eyes open, and Cathy was scratching the back of her head and stretching her arms frequently to keep herself awake.

"Because I have received an ominous warning from our friend, Morgani." Rinoa stated, which caught everyone's attention at the table.

Then they all turned to look at the woman who had thus far been hovering in silence on the countertop where her crystal in the petree dish was placed.

"Apart from myself, there are three others. You've faced one of Wolfani's Puppets before. And given the chances that Rubiella is willing to give him, he has quiet a few more hidden in his shadows. After that, there are two more under Rubiella's control that you will have to face. All of them are under her spells, which as you've seen with me, are difficult to break. I do not know of any other servants that she may have under her spells, apart from the three. But you need to become much stronger if you're to survive, Sailor Senshi." Morgani explained.

"How do we do that? We've been going all over the place in this area of the state whenever something happens, whether it's related to this Wolfani fellow or not, for weeks now, and each time it's been so dramatically different... How can we get stronger if he keeps sending out those weak puppets to test us?" Asked Annie who was suddenly wide awake.

"That is where this meeting comes in to place. I will need to send you to your homeworld, to learn about your past, and recover much of your lost power." Rinoa explained.

"To our homeworld? But... we're from Earth, aren't we?" Asked Elizabeth, blinking in confusion.

"Not originally. Originally, you are all Jovian citizens. Members of Princess Calysta's Royal Court. Including Sailor Thebes, even though she currently is under a spell of unknown origin she too holds an important role in your group as the one who will complete us." Sighed Rinoa. "Now," She went on before anymore protests or questions were asked. "This trip won't happen right away. We will have to wait until Jupiter is in line with our area and it's a good night for said event. This will give us a chance for more practice on our teamwork, and prepare us for the trip ahead. Jupiter is no short distance, even with Sailor Teleport, after all."

"And this topic couldn't be discussed during the day when we've had a full night's sleep fueling our intelligence levels?" Asked an annoyed Christina.

"Indeed not. There would've been too much of a risk of someone blabbing, and Morgani's strength seems to increase during the night so she can manifest herself better, thus we can learn more from her about our enemies and what they're planning." Rinoa snapped.

Hillary had already pulled out her mini laptop, and was typing.

"The next day that matches all the requirements Rinoa listed isn't until three and a half weeks from now. So nearly a month..." Hillary stated.

"Plenty of time to prepare. We should make a trip to the library this weekend." Rinoa nodded.

"Why would a trip to the library be necessary for a visit to another planet?" Asked Elizabeth, who was at a total loss.

"Because it will help freshen your memories on those who once ruled over that world. The legends and myths about the Roman and Greek Gods and Goddesses all have a shred of truth to them. Hera and Zues were the rulers of Jupiter, and their daughters and sons were all thusly named. But one, who is amongst us, was slated to be the next in line in the new age." Rinoa explained. "So this trip to the library will be in essence, some geneological work on your bloodlines in the silver millennium. Anything about the names and historical records attatched to those names should be at least looked at, even if not all of it is accurate."

"But wasn't King Zues a... if you'll excuse the term... womanizer, and Hera a ruthless piece of work who put her step-son Hercules through hell because she hated him? Why would we want to look up people like that?" Asked Cathy, who was thinking about everything she'd known so far about Greek and Roman mythology.

"Not exactly. The legends and rumors many slate as fact in regards to the accusations were made by many suitors of Queen Hera who rejected them, so they became angry and resentful of the Queen." Rinoa sighed. She was glad she had given them some time before making the long interstellar journey to the multiple-mooned planet, and this time would give them the chance to work on their team-work and learn more about the figures that once ruled over them.

Christina's response to the whole discussion had been to fall oddly quiet in her chair, looking down at the table. She knew her Greek and Roman Mythology well thanks to so much time escaping from her classmates in the school library, so none of this was new to her, except for Rinoa's explanation about history being wrong in their case. While the girls and Rinoa were busy deep in discussion, she drifted off into a daydream. The contents of which were only later reluctantly revealed.

_She could swear she saw a vast garden, larger than any garden on Earth, with flowers as far as the eyes could see, and on the horizon, huge mountains reaching towards a many-mooned heavenly sky. While the sky itself wasn't blue, it was a mixture of earthy reds, browns and greys that swarmed like storms overhead. The castle she was emerging from was even more vast than the garden, which was known throughout the universe as being the largest of its kind, run personally by Queen Hera and the Priestesses of the Castle. As she looked up, a meteor streaked across the skies in a bright yellow flash... _

"Christi!" Hillary was calling out to her when she was jolted back to reality.

"Huh?" Blinked Christina, looking wildly around at everyone who had noticed she drifted off in a rather big way.

"You looked like you were in a trance, sweetie." Morgani stated when none of the other girls, or Rinoa said what bothered them so much.

"Erm..." Christina's eyes looked from one to the other.

"I think that it's time for bed." Rinoa stated in a firm, motherly way.

* * *

><p>As she got back into bed that night, Rinoa curled up in her own kitty bed at the windowsill, laying in the moonlight looking like a perfectly normal, peace loving feline. Except for the Crescent Mark on her forehead. Christina's eyes drifted around, looking at the room she was so fond of even when she had her nightmares. She would stay here as a child before her parents died in that terrible car wreck. Then she moved here permanently when her aunt and uncle were labeled in the will that they were the preferred God parents she should go to if anything happened. Well, it certainly did. In a very big way. She thought a lot about her parents, though she never would admit it to nobody but herself as she lay back on her pillow, looking up at her starry night painted ceiling with a background sky of many dark shades of purple and pink. Also that night, she wondered about that image that she saw. The image of a place that felt more like home than any other she'd lived in during her life here on Earth. But as she drifted off to sleep, once more, something much darker caged in the back of her mind came forward to dominate her dreams and haunt her in a way nothing else could...<p>

* * *

><p>That night, within the small town, three shadows hovered above it.<p>

"I still don't see why you two had to insist on coming along. We've been handling things just fine." Wolfani snarled at Lazuli and Analci.

"We're worried about you, the multicolored-eyed Analci replied. "You haven't been yourself since Morgani left us."

"You fools. She didn't leave, she was taken." Grumbled Wolfani as he did whenever Morgani was brought up.

Lazuli and Analci looked at each other uneasily.

"If you're gonna stick around, then at least be useful to me. It is time we prepared these people for what's to come if they are to continue to conceal the Goddess of Death, and the Jovian Sailor Crystal." Declared Wolfani, raising his arms straight ahead of him, with the palms flat towards the town below.

So the other two hovered to different locations above the town, with Wolfani being at the North end of town, Lazuli at the West and Analci at the South to form a triangle. There was a blast of air that swept through them when they closed their eyes, next what appeared to be a shadowy black semi-transparent wall appeared from their hands at first forming the triangle, then a dome as it shaped itself to engulf the entire area. Then the dome shaped shield vanished before it could be seen.

"There... Soon, they will reveal themselves. With this shadow hanging over them, they will have no choice." Said Wolfani as Lazuli and Analci rejoined him on either side. "Then I will also achieve my revenge upon those who stole Morgani from us."

The only response from Lazuli and Analci this time was a sigh. Morgani couldn't tell what it was for, so he didn't say anything to them about it before the three vanished, returning back to their mansion. They reappeared knealing in greeting to Rubiella, who was waiting for them.

"Is the dome in place?" Asked Rubiella.

"Yes, there were no problems." Replied Lazuli.

"Excellent." Laughed Rubiella, as the three men bowed to her, looking up with sneers on their faces while her laughter echoed throughout the building.

* * *

><p>At the library that weekend as Rinoa ordered, the group was in a section that was labeled "Mythology"<p>

"You know, for this being such a small town with a population that doesn't exeed five thousand, I'm always amazed that there's something new in this section every time I come here." Hillary commented rather quietly as the five girls were all gathered in the section towards the front, yet away from everyone else in the building.

"Indeed. I don't recall seeing this book before. This one's new." Cathy put in her two cents on the matter, pulling out an apparently old novel from the shelf at eye level before here, then blowing on it once really hard. The result was the girls all around spluttering, sneezing and coughing.

"If by new, you mean new to this library, then, yes, it is new. But if by new you mean new in a physical, fresh from the factory new, then you're barking mad sis." Coughed Elizabeth, waving the heavy dirt from her face.

"I brought that book here." Stated Rinoa from Christina's arms. "It is from my own personal collection, and I thought it would be helpful in preparing us in our journey."

"Preparing you for what, and who was that talking just now?" Came a voice that startled them all.

"Eric! So nice to see you!" Annie said in what she clearly thought was an innocent, nothing-wrong-here, jaunty type of voice.

"Hi Annie." Eric nodded. He was standing right behind Christina as he came to his own favorite isle, which was right across the Mythology department. And heard Rinoa talking with some curiosity.

For a moment Christina's face was blank, then with a look of dawning comprehension as Hillary and Elizabeth were pointing behind her, she let out a small yelp, jumping aside to let him through.

"Yo." Eric said, blinking in a rather amused way at her reaction to him being so close.

"Erm, hi!" Christina's wave was nervous, wondering what he must think to hearing a voice with no normal source around the group of girls. "What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work at the arcade?" Today Eric was wearing a simple blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, and brown tennis shoes. Quite the change from his school clothes, or his work apron at the Inn.

"Nah, I always come here on the weekend." He jerked his thumb at the isle next to theirs, which was labeled "Astronomy Science".

"Oooh, you like studying outer space? That's funny, we're here for mythology and such." Hillary showed him the ancient novel they'd just picked from the shelf.

"Fascinating stuff, mythology. Though I've already read most of that section. I used to like to get a book each of science and mythology myself. Though lately I've been studying the planets more and more with all the discoveries coming out." Said Eric as Christina's head tilted slightly to the left while she listened to the things he was interested in.

"There's a really good book that I used in a homework assignment recently that helped me out quite a bit about Jupiter and it's moons you might like if you haven't read it." Elizabeth's eyes lit up at the topic, while Eric became rather curious. Not only at how easy it was to talk to Christina's friends outside of school without Audrey butting in all the time, but also at how quiet and shy Christina suddenly appeared to become after being so easily startled. "Here..." Elizabeth knew exactly what row and number it was since she came to that section quite a bit during certain homework projects. Pulling out the thick volume, and showing the title to Eric, he seemed genuinely interested at the title while behind them, Rinoa was looking worried and concerned.

"Looks interesting, thanks for suggesting it." Nodded Eric, tucking it under his arm after reading the back of the book for the premise and summary. He glanced back at the others who were all looking on politely, before shrugging, then going to grab another title that he initially came in for. "By the way, who was that other person talking when I first came in here? I could've sworn I heard Christina's cat talking."

"Erm..." Christina's eyes flitted from her friends to her cat, not sure what to say to this still.

"That was me." Cathy said at once when she sensed dangerous suspicions about the truth of their identity from this young man. "I sometimes like to imitate the Brooklyn New York accent." She pulled off a perfectly good imitation of Rinoa's voice, which caused an annoyed glare from the cat.

"Ah, well I'll see you around then." Shrugged Eric, not really buying this explanation, judging from Christina's reaction. He took a last glance at her, before turning and heading to the reading tables at the center of the library.

"Phew, that was close. It's a good thing you're aspiring to be a voice actress, Cathy." Annie sighed in relief, who found that out about Cathy a few weeks ago.

"Indeed. I thought for sure he heard me talking." Rinoa stated, more quietly. "You certainly weren't any help." She snapped at Christina who was looking much more relaxed.

"Hey, can I help it if I froze like that? He has a habit of pulling that!" Snarled Christina, as Annie was giggling like a madwoman and the other three were all smirking.

"No. You're just easily startled when people come unexpectedly to you at any angle." Smirked Hillary, earning a glare from Christina as they gathered the volumes from the book shelves then went to the check-out stand where the librarian checked out the books to each of them.

After finding a corner with a desk and a wide open window well away from Eric, they all sat down, and began reading their individual books, talking about it in whispers how different the life on Jupiter must have been, or how different from the modern versions of the Roman and Greek Mythologies.

As they began to read, some of the images that popped into Christina's head were confusing. The descriptions of the old palaces made by the Romans and Greeks, and the temples seemed to be familiar to her. She could imagine herself walking through a much larger version than anything here on Earth, with the garden in the distance.

They were so busy, in fact, that they didn't notice a change in the people of the town as a result of the invisible dome that covered the area. People were becoming bitter, angry and dispondant, sparking up large arguments in the middle of the street over small things like something being spilled or misplaced.

After a while, Eric said his goodbyes to the group gathered in the library, checked out the books he picked, and went outside. It was then that he noticed the dark shadow that seemed to fall upon their town. And the fact that he seemed utterly unnaffected by it. Even the children were getting into more fights than he knew was normal. But he thought that maybe it was just because of the weather, or people were rather crabby that afternoon. Walking over to his parents' car, he pulled out the keys his father loaned him, and got in after unlocking the back passenger door. His mother and father would be out shortly, he recalled as he looked at his watch, then they could get away from all the crazy people in the town.

* * *

><p>"Thank heaven he finally left! Now I can talk openly again." Breathed Rinoa in relief. "I don't like him hanging around this much. It's like he has an idea what's going on more than most people!"<p>

"Oh come on, he's not that bad." Annie said.

"I don't trust him." Rinoa mumbled. "It's almost like he's too polite... when we come back from our journey, we should look into his purpose and what he's really doing here."

"What do you mean? He's just a nice guy who likes to flirt with danger is all." Hillary looked up from her book after marking the spot she was at with her index finger.

"That's what has me worried-" Rinoa began, but Christina interrupted.

"Oh please, you're worried because we are the next saviors of this planet, and he's getting too close to who we really are. How's that sum up your worries in a nutshell?" Asked a suddenly irritated Christina, not looking up from her book.

Rinoa blinked several times at her charge, who seemed unusually crabby at the turn of their conversation.

"I highly doubt that Eric would do anything to jeapardize our mission even if he somehow found out who we really were. He never was the type to be outwardly aggressive or have what you would call suspicious angry outbursts." Christina's voice was impatient, annoyed and almost... imperial as she told her guardian off. But not once did she raise her volume, or look up. Not that she had to. When her anger was felt at that moment, all of her friends looked at her, feeling the chill and sensing that there was something else behind this statement, how she managed to get her point and her emotions across without exploding like a time bomb.

"Let's get back to our main topic here, shall we-?" Elizabeth said, breaking the unpleasant silence.

At once the others assented, Rinoa feeling sulky and depressed at the turn of events. Were things progressing faster than she'd thought? Perhaps soon she would have to have a talk with Christina about her attitude if things started revving up even more.

Rinoa, however, would never get the chancce. There were so many rows between Christina and her aunt over the next couple of weeks, that she decided to just stay in the bedroom or wander the ranch they lived at as Robin argued over the quality of the chores done in the rather large house, and the homework Christina was working on for school- this week it was three essays and two practice tests. After a while, Christina got sick of her aunt's behavior, shouting at her aunt that she was acting like a child who wasn't getting her way, then grabbing her meals and storming upstairs, locking her bedroom door before her aunt could say anything else.

These arguments in a normally peacefull home, however, were not the only arguments that broke out in the valley covered by the invisible dome. Houses that were normally peaceful and quiet in the evening in town were roiling with shouting and unbridaled rage. By the time it was the evening before their departure to Jupiter, Christina and her friends were greatful to be leaving this crabby town.

As far as Cathy was concerned, it had been a month of hell for her and her sister, with fights breaking out between her mother and her boyfriend all over again just when they thought he was gone for good. Hillary and Annie's parents who were normally quite likeable and loving were exactly the opposite no matter where they went, and life in the town had reached an all time low. It was bad enough there weren't any large malls or shopping centers like in a big city such as Seattle, but without any of the usual outlets for this negative energy that was now at a full boil in the town, people were letting it out in other ways such as violence in the streets or even in the buildings themselves during the work day.

At school, things were a lot worse. The seniors were pulling pranks on any of the younger groups of students more than the usual t-ping of their hallways, and the teachers were becoming increasingly tetchy about the smallest bit of noise or messing around while they were talking. More than usual, as Annie pointed out at lunch time. Audrey was becoming unbearably rude to Christina, though she thought that maybe it was just because of the contest the last month that they had which resulted in her being shunted to the side even though she claimed to have more talent than Christina's and her friends any day. About the only other person who wasn't affected by whatever was causing the unpleasant changes was Eric, who would often be seen sighing in annoyed boredom at his table at lunch, during his friends arguments.

* * *

><p>"So far things are looking good for our trip, everything's lining up in the celestial department for us." Hillary was saying that early evening as she scanned everything with her computer. They were all gathered in the park by the river, unable to stand their parents' bickering and fighting anymore, so Rinoa decided for a bit of fresh air to agree to let them have their last meeting before their journey outside in the sunlight.<p>

"How are we gonna get there, Rinoa? That's something you never explained to us." Cathy asked. At this, all eyes turned to Rinoa like she was the focus of an interrogation.

"We are going to attempt to use the Sailor Teleport as you transform. That should give us enough of a boost to get us to Jupiter, combining the moonlight, our powers, and the lift we get as we leave the atmosphere. I'm not sure how well it will work without Sailor Thebes, our last member, but it should get us to where we need to be." Rinoa answered. "I know you've never attempted it before, so that is why we have to wait another night for conditions to be perfect-"

"Ugh, not again!" Hillary burst out suddenly, as her computer screen flickered.

"What?" Rinoa hopped over to Hillary's lap from Christina's as the others looked at each other interestedly at her explanation of how they were going to get to Jupiter without some kind of space craft.

"It's been happening off and on ever since things started changing in this town." Hillary replied as Rinoa saw the problem on Hillary's mini computer laptop. "I think there must be something wrong with it. Nearly every time I try scanning certain parts around this town, I get interference. Could there be something wrong with it?"

"No. This laptop is made of stronger stuff than standard plastics and metals... the ordinary interference that could happen to regular computers shouldn't have an effect on yours. There must be something else at work here..." Rinoa lapsed into a thoughtful, pondering silence.

"Maybe it's whatever's making this town go crazy..." Annie suggested suddenly. When everyone stared at her in surprise at how quickly she came to this conclusion, she blinked. "What? I'm allowed to have fleeting moments of brilliance once in a while, aren't I?" To which nearly everyone laughed or snorted.

"Shouldn't we be checking this out, whatever's making everything go crazy here?" Asked Elizabeth after calming down.

"No. You need to reserve your strength for tomorrow. I will check it out personally and see if it's anything... unnatural." Rinoa replied. "If it is, then we'll simply have to deal with it before we leave."

"Right." Nodded the girls.

* * *

><p>So that night, as everyone was settling down to get some sleep in before the following journey they were about to take, Rinoa decided that was the time to get to work on figuring out what was going on to cause such an interference on Hillary's laptop computer, and causing such a stir in the town. In the command center underneath the Apple Valley Inn, Rinoa was working hard at her own computers with Morgani watching interestedly in silence, occasionally giving some words of advice or offering opinions when Rinoa needed them.<p>

Finally, nearing two o'clock in the morning, Rinoa had her answer.

"Looks like our dome that we planned on putting over this area when we were nearing the truth of the identity of our target..." Morgani blinked at the screen which was now at last showing the dome invisible to the naked eye.

"And it could interfere with our being able to get to Jupiter..." Sighed Rinoa at this annoyance. "We will have to deal with that before we can even begin to think about leaving."

"You'll have to be careful, Wolfani and the others will most likely be watching to see who will try and break it down." Morgani warned.

"Indeed..." Rinoa's amber eyes were narrowed in concern and dislike about the difficulty of their situation. Her Senshi were still green to their powers, and even though they had great chemistry as a team, she still worried that somehow something would happen tomorrow that would shatter the bond they worked hard to form.

* * *

><p>It seemed incredible to Christina the day of their departure to Jupiter that just four months ago she'd been worried about getting anything above a D in her math class at school as she was thinking about all the things they were going to be doing that evening. After an hour and a half of their last class of the day, during which she had to endure Audrey pulling puffer-fish looks at her behind the teacher's back, she finally was slamming her locker door closed in the hallway. She'd kept her mouth shut, knowing that if she were to retaliate, she'd be landed in detention faster than you could say unfair. And she didn't need to be in detention that evening, making them late for their arrangements. Her aunt had agreed not to pick her up that day- with a little help from Rinoa and her special 'brand' of magic- so she would be able to stay with her friends as they prepared for what could be a tough battle as the sun set. They had no idea what to expect, after all, so they were just preparing themselves for anythng that could happen the moment they transformed.<p>

After a light but satisfying dinner made by Christina in the command center after school- one that gave them energy and brain power- they decided to have some ice cream before heading out as the sun was setting.

"See you later!" They waved at Eric and the workers in the restaurant portion of the Inn, they waved back, and it was now time to get to work.

Gathering outside towards the middle area of the town, in a dim alley way, the girls were waiting for Rinoa's word to transform.

They had no idea they were being watched by Audrey, who had followed them when she heard Christina saying she was staying with her friends that evening. Thinking it unusual, Audrey followed them, hiding behind a large oak tree, watching the five girls and their cat gathering in a circle out of sight from nearly everyone else.

Wouldn't she love to just nail Christina on something at last, Audrey thought with a smirk on her face. She'd become her competition when she realized Christina's eyes were also set on Eric, no matter how much she tried to deny it. However, Audrey had not expected what she saw next.

"Callsto Moon Power-"

"Elara Moon Power-"

"Amalthea Moon Power-"

"Leda Moon Power-"  
>"Lysithea Moon Power-"<p>

"MAKE UP!" The five girls and the cat called out.

The rainbow colored light nearly blinded Audrey just as it had the police officer in Spokane when she saw Christina's transformation weeks ago. But Audrey did not look away, she could not as the five school girls transformed. Those were the same Sailor Senshi that saved her when Sailor Callisto first appeared! She thought about crying out in shock, but her voice seemed to be stuck. She couldn't say anything as the Senshi emerged from the light that engulfed them.

But the Senshi didn't stop there. The rainbow light formed into a pillar around them, shooting up to the sky. And just as Rinoa predicted, the light that normally would have taken them off the planet stopped at a point above the town, blocked by the invisible dome that no longer was. Their pillar of light splintered in all directions, revealing the dome that caused such a change to the townspeople. Many of which looked upward upon seeing the light, gawking with their mouths wide open.

The police officers were quite alarmed by the sight. It was as though the Aurora Boriallis was in combat with something dark and semi transparent, and Audrey stumbled backwards at last when there was a loud explosion like a cannon blast as something shot back from the dome down at the Sailor Senshi, sending each flying backwards with the force of a bullet the moment they tried to battle the dome. The light that had tried to penetrate the dome vanished, but the dome did not as the Sailor Senshi were separated.

In response to the attack on the dome, there was a flash of black light that momentarily covered the entire valley in shadows and a chill, but when the shadows vanished, the chill remained. Only it wasn't an ordinary chill, it was as though an arctic frost had suddenly blasted its way through the warm afternoon of the early part of spring, and ice started forming over all the buildings and the ground. Soon, people were in a downright panic, because when they came in contact with this unnatural ice, they were frozen solid as well, looking like randomly posed running statues encased in crystal clear ice.

"I think you guys just made it worse!" Audrey shouted, looking around for Sailor Callisto, whom she now knew to be Christina. She found Sailor Callisto just stirring from being knocked unconcious after having been slammed backwards into the opposite building. Her mask was miraculously still on her face even after the force of that explosion, which separated her team from her and Rinoa.

"Huh?" Callisto rubbed the back of her aching head, looking up. "Audrey!" She gasped, standing up at once, then cracking her head once more on the wall of the building she'd just slammed into. "Gah...!" She cried out.

"What happened to your team mates? Shouldn't they still be here?" Audrey would normally have teased Christina mercilessly with her reaction, but now was not the time.

"My question is what the heck are you doing here?" Callisto looked at the girl who had made her life hell at the school for quite some time before she met her friends.

"I can't really go back home right now, can't I?" Audrey pointed around them, the ice was creeping in on them faster by the second.

"I won't ask why you're not affected by what's happening... Callisto, I've got just the thing for this situation!" Rinoa said as Audrey gawked at the talking cat.

Rinoa's eyes glowed, then she did a summersault in mid air. There was a flash of light, and what looked like a scepter appeared. This would not only help in this situation, but more to come as the scepter hovered before Callisto, gleaming and sending rainbow sparks of light all over the crystal ice that was surrounding the three. The scepter itself was two feet long, with a round circle three inches wide all around, and an empty center. The handle was violet and rose quartz pink, and white towards the top with four small amethyst stones towards the circle glittering on the white part. The hilt of the scepter was made of six different gemstones, starting on the left with dark blue sapphire, bright emerald, amethyst, yellow-gold diamond, and bright yellow amber. The large circle at the top of the scepter was rainbow colored, starting on the outside ring with amethyst, followed by crimson, gold, bright green emerald, dark blue sapphire, and bright yellow-gold amber, finishing off at the very center with a small thin line of rose quartz pink.

"That is the Full Moon Scepter, Callisto. It is the symbol of the leader of this group, and will one day hold the Mystical Jovian Crystal." Rinoa explained, looking up at Callisto with a sense of pride and fondness that normally only a mother could feel. "Now hold up the scepter and shout out "Callisto Dragon Fang Piercer!"

Callisto swallowed as Audrey looked on skeptically, but when she reached out to grab the scepter, there was confidence in her touch with the faith that Rinoa had in her seeming to bolster her actions.

The moment she grabbed the scepter, Callisto felt warmth spreading through her body starting at her fingers that held it. This was a moment of empowerment for Callisto, as she raised the staff at her full arm's length to the sky. Fire erupted from the top center of the scepter, raging around her like a firey tornado.

"Callisto... Dragon Fang Piercer!" She cried out, and on her command, the fire raged around herself, Rinoa and Audrey, not harming any of them as it circled out, augmented by the spell. Raging around them, the blaze destroyed the ice encroaching upon them, creating a sort of protective barrier without touching the buildings or the people that had been frozen. When the fire blaze dissappeared, Callisto fell to her knees feeling drained as though she'd used all of her energy that she could muster.

* * *

><p>"Lysithea Deep Sea Ice Dragon!" Called out Sailor Lysithea from the spot she'd been thrown to, her own power melting away the ice that nearly swallowed her up during her time spent unconcious. Looking up in time, she saw a familiar firey blaze that lit up the skies momentarily. She had to make her way back to Callisto before it got too late. But just as she took a step forward, she saw another flash of light, this time red and gold in the distance and paused in her path to look around.<p>

* * *

><p>Amalthea and Elara had just unfrozen themselves from the encroaching ice field.<p>

"It's like a glacier is covering the town!" Elara said, her VR Visors over her face and scanning the area. "Starting with that dome!"

"Where's Callisto and the others?" Asked Amalthea. "They're ok, but we really should get back together... it'll be easier to disperse this ice field and get rid of the dome-"

"You two brats aren't going anywhere." Came a nasty, deep male voice from behind.

They heard the sound of feet stepping on ice which crunched with every heavy step ominously.

Turning, they saw a trio of men walking towards them.

"And who might you colorful looking dudes be?" Asked Amalthea, abandoning all pretense and using her street slang as Elara cocked her scythe with a snap, directing the blade at the man in the center who was apparently the leader.

"We are the ones who will utterly destroy you for what you did to our comerade." Wolfani said, raising the palm of his hand to face the skies, then clenching his hand into a fist as a pillar of black energy shot down from the dome that surrounded the valley. The pillar crashed to the ground, then began whirling round and round on the spot before it was augmented by a flick of his hand, and acting like a high class tornado, ripped apart everything in its' path.

"Sheild of Memories!" Cried out Sailor Elara at once, and her shield appeared around herself and her sister just in the nick of time. The moment the tornado-like pillar reached them, Amalthea jumped up into the air, out of the protection of the shield her sister put up.

"Amalthea Golden Shock Wave!" She bellowed, and this time instead of acting like a hand held bomb, the attack started from her hands held up above her, swirling around her and dispersing the black pillar attack from Wolfani in a haze of hurricane force winds and energy. Landing back next to her sister, Amalthea stared at the three men with a 'take _that' _expression on her face.

"Very clever, young Senshi." Wolfani smirked. "But you'd be foolish to think that would be the only attack in my arsenal. He had waited for this, been saving his real power for the moment he would be facing the two that took Morgani away from them. Sure, he still had his mission to recover the Goddess of Death and the Mystical Jovian Sailor Crystal, but his vengeance and rage needed to be pacified first. He would beat these two to a pulp before moving on, finding the others, picking them off one by one. Analci and Linari were merely accomplices in his mission, but they seemed to be getting impatient with him as he fought these two lesser Senshi. Lesser compared to the one they were after.

With a quick movement of his arms, flexing his hands in a twisted sort of way, the ice raced around them, freezing even the lamp posts and street signs as it moved. Elara's shield remained taught around the two Senshi, as her VR Visor was working furiously on something that Amalthea had no idea about. Then after several moments, Elara finally spoke.

"Quick, sister! Direct your attack underground! It's the best way to keep the ice from reaching us!" Elara shouted over the sound of creaking and groaning, as though a glacier was moving at top speed, or ice on water was breaking apart with a sudden burst of force.

"Right. Amaltha... Golden... Shock...WAVE!" Nodded Sailor Amalthea, pounding her fists to the ground. The result of this new version of the attack was that it looked like an earthquake was ripping apart the ground beyond the shield Elara put up, with ice shattering and splintering into thousands of shards around them forcing the three men to jump into the air.

Anacli's multicolored eyes flashed. He didn't need to be told what to do, instead, he just did it the moment he saw his chance. What appeared to be at least a dozen or so large, glowing whips appeared around him, and upon raising his right arm, they cracked like twelve thunderbolts at once, flying at the shield Sailor Elara was using to protect herself and her sister. One after another, the whips cracked at the shield, weakening it bit by bit until at last, like glass, it broke apart and shattered as it vanished.

Wolfani raised his hand, and this time the black pillar that came from the dome spun and snaked around his body, before slamming into the ground, tearing up everything in its path, and sending the two Sailor Senshi flying away from each other. The three men landed on the ground as Wolfani summoned the searching crystal given to him by Rubiella.

"Now... to see..." He said. He held the crystal above the two unconcious Sailor Senshi, and it glowed. However, he saw no signs of power, no signs of a Crystal or Goddess that echoed in the shadows that emanated from Elara and Amalthea. "Dammit..." He snapped, fetching the crystal out of the air. "It's not them... Let's finish them off and move on to the next."

Elara's head ached as she stirred, something falling out of her Senshi vest collar, clattering on the ground while Wolfani spoke. It was the peetree jar that held the stone of Morganite, jingling as it rolled on its side for a little bit, teetering on the edge, then clattering back on the flat side. Wolfani barely noticed the jar before a screeching voice caught them off guard.

"Lysithea Deep Sea Ice Dragon!" Sailor Lysithea practically screamed her attack, and with a roar the dragon of water and ice raced towards Wolfani, Lazuli and Analci, sending them flying halfway through the nearby jewelery stor that Morgani had first targeted upon her arrival. "You wanna fight, come and get it you filthy bastards." She snarled.

"Filthy bastards are we?!" Wolfani's voice rose uncontrollably as he stumbled out from the rubble of the building. "Then you are a dirty little wretch unfit for her role."

"Is that the best you can do?" Smirked Sailor Lysithea. She found in that moment there was nothing quite like the thrill of egging her enemy on, especially when they had provoked this attack in the first place. Then knowing that she was getting to them. It gave her immense satisfaction to see him fight to find his footing once more as he looked up at her, an evil glare in his eyes as he raised both arms.

The gemstone in the peetree jar began to sparkle, unnoticed by the two, nor Analci or Lazuli. Then a bright blue glow erupted from the stone as Elara was struggling to regain her conciousness. Morgani erupted into her fullest, most intimidating form before their very eyes.

"ENOUGH!" She shouted, her rage at the conflict was palpable. "Wolfani, stop this at once!"

Wolfani looked as though he'd been slapped around the face as he looked at her, the woman he loved standing before them, trying to stop him from hurting these Sailor Senshi.

"Morgani... you... how can you still be..." He stammered, blinking rapidly as though he could hardly believe his eyes.

"I am alive thanks to the kindness that these Sailor Soldiers have shown me, the pity and willingness to give me a second chance. I chose to ally myself with them as a result, in order to pay them back in full how they have changed me." She replied imperiously.

Elara finally stirred as Morgani made her speech.

"YOU!" Wolfani shrieked, his eyes practically popping as Elara tried to sit up, she stared at a complete loss as to what was now happening. They were supposed to be trying to take down the dome trapping every negative emotion and action in this valley, in order to reach Jupiter. But these men were standing in their way claiming they were responsible for something they couldn't stop from happening. And Lysithea was doing a great job in holding them back. Wolfani was clearly loosing his mind at what was going on. "I don't know what you've done to her... you've bewitched her into thinking you are the good guys-!"

"WOLFANI!" Shouted Morgani at the top of her voice to silence him. Analci and Lazuli, she noticed, had been oddly silent since her appearance, as though she was shocking them into being quiet.

"I am neither bewitched or hypnotized. They used no magic or spells against me. I know you have been seeking revenge on my case, but that is not what I desire. What I desire is for peace to return to this town and it's people. And for these young ladies to complete the mission they set out to do. If you insist upon continuing this fight, I will not stop them any more from hurting you and my former friends."

Wolfani opened and closed his mouth several times, like a fish out of water, at the clarity of her decision. He'd never seen her this way before, and it was as though he'd just ran head first into a wall. But the command from his leader was overruling any logic or hope that was trying to emerge from his heart, watching Elara rising to her feet, shortly followed by her dazed and shaken up older sister.

"Whatever you choose," Morgani said more calmly now, "It will decide our fate forever."

Wolfani looked at Analci and Lazuli, then back at Morgani. Once, their team had been a group of four, to rival anything the Senshi threw at them as they searched for the Mystical Jovian Crystal, and the Goddess of Death. There was a long, tense silence between the groups as the stand-off began.

* * *

><p>Eric had transformed in to the Moon Shadow Knight the moment he saw the ice field encroaching on his home town. Using light collected in the blade of his sword, he blasted his way through the town, looking for survivors, or people who managed to get free. When at last he saw a sign of life. It was more like a literal blazing beacon in the skies as a tornado of fire could be seen miles high above them, but he knew who it was and where to go now. Using the ice as a catapult, he jumped his way across the town, his cloak flapping around him in a silence that was almost deafaning. It was strange, the effect of the dome around the town, and the glacier of crystal clear ice that had been engulfing everything in its path had wrought. But the closer he got to the scene he knew Callisto to be at, the more noise that could be heard. There was a battle going on nearby, but it was hard to tell exactly where because of all the ice causing random reflections, and the echoing sound of ice and earth being utterly demolished.<p>

Finally, he had Sailor Callisto in his sights. Only she wasn't alone. He was baffled as to what Audrey was doing with her, but he recognized the cat right away and it suddenly dawned on him. He couldn't yet be absolutely certain on his suspicions, but it certainly made a more solid case in his mind as he stared blankly for a few moments.

Another figure was running towards the trio. It was the youngest of the Sailor Senshi, Sailor Leda, who had somehow fought her way free of her own ice prison.

"Callisto!" Leda called, panting as though she'd ran a marathon. "It's the entire valley! The enemy have encrusted the whole area-"

"We know that, Leda." Callisto looked around, not having noticed they were being watched by the Moon Shadow Knight. "Where are the others, have you ran into them yet?"

"No. I've seen some flashes of light over there-" Leda pointed somewhere to her right. "-But I thought I'd come and find you first to make sure you were ok."

"Thanks. I think we should get going, it's looking pretty dire from here." Callisto smiled.

"What's she doing here? How come she's not affected by what's going on?" Leda blinked in the most unflattering way at Audrey, well aware of the girls' reputation even though she was in a younger class than the others.

"I think I have an explanation for that... she must've been touched by the light from your transformation and it protected her at the last second." Rinoa stated matter-of-factly.

"Ok..." Leda's eyes were narrowed as she thought about this, clearly not happy about the turn of events.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it now. I think Audrey would be safest sticking with us, until this conflict is over. If we can defeat whoever's causing this to happen, then we can get off this rock to our main destination." Callisto cast a furtive glance at Audrey.

"Don't worry, I'll do my best to stay out of your way. This is twice you've saved me." Audrey said, looking scared, but glad they would do what they could for her safety.

"Then let's book it." Rinoa said with a nod.

So now, joined by Leda, the odd group of four took off in the drection of all the light and explosions, bracing themselves for what they could find when they reached the end of the trail.

* * *

><p>The group was in a stand off, no one daring to make a move first, for several minutes. Everyone was so tense, so alert, you could practically feel it in the air along with the chill of the glacier the three men, Wolfani, Analci and Lazuli had summoned when the Senshi first attacked their dome. Finally, Wolfani moved his arms once more as though conducting a puppet show, but just as he was about to attack, two voices shouted phrases, causing everyone to look for the source at once.<p>

"Callisto Pheonix Fire-"

"Leda Blazing Collision Points-!"

"Strike!"

Sailor Callisto and Sailor Leda were now on the scene. The Pheonix Fire struck the three men all at once, while Leda's Blazing Collision Points were blinding flashes and struck one after the other like a meteor shower she summoned from the heavens, forcing the three men to take flight into the air, looking burned and beaten rather badly after being caught off guard.

"Audrey, take cover! Stay safe!" Shouted Sailor Callisto, not believing her own mouth as she was saying this to the girl who up until recently was her loathed rival at the school.

"Gotcha." Audrey replied, ducking behind a large, green recycle garbage bin in a nearby alley that- thankfully for her- was like a giant ice cube at the moment, and did not have the usual stink about it.

"What's she doing here?" Blinked Elara in unflattering disbelief.

"Nevermind, what's important is that she's one of the few civilians who weren't frozen solid." Rinoa said.

"So the gang's all here, are they?" Snarled Wolfani, looking down on the five Senshi, watching the civilian called Audrey hide herself behind the dumpster. "Excellent. It will make my job easier. I can get my revenge, and my mission all at once."

Analci and Lazuli raised their own arms, sending blasts of energy and power right at the Sailor Senshi. There was no warning this time, and Elara did not have the chance to summon her Shield. Wolfani smirked as the five girls screamed in pain until Rinoa acted against them, her amber eyes glowing, sending the attack right back at the three men, who dodged and swerved in return.

"Thanks Rinoa!" Callisto panted, lowering her arms which she'd thrown up to protect her face.

"This isn't good... we can barely hold our own against the three of them." Lysithea commented, rubbing her singed upper arm.

"We just need to think up a strategy is all." Elara sighed, her VR Visor working furiously once again.

"They are strongest as a team, right?" Leda stated, looking up at the three men who were now back side-by-side.

"Yes..." Nodded Amalthea.

"So if we combined our attacks, shouldn't we be strong too?" Leda found her footing as she prepared herself, looking like she was ready to storm an impenetrable castle.

"Good idea... We can combine our power with Callisto's Dragon Fire, and send them running." Nodded Elara in approval.

"Then let's get cracking!" Rinoa said.

The three men looked curiously down at the trio, who were at last coming up with some sort of strategy that should give them a challenge at least.

Callisto raised her left hand, since she was still holding her Full Moon Scepter in her right, and fire sparked to life around her arm.

"Callisto Dragon Fire-"

"Elara Crimson Purification-"

"Amalthea Golden Shock Wave-"

"Leda Blazing Collision Points-"

"Lysithea Deep Sea Ice Dragon-"

"STRIKE!" Callisto finished the combined chant, as the dragon roared into life, taking the form of her most powerful attack to date. As each of the Senshi summoned their own spells, the fire dragon took on more color, going from solid firey-red orange to a strange red glimmer, with a hint of gold, bright green and finally looking like a deep blue aura gleamed around the dragon as it flew at the three men who were currently attacking.

An ear-splitting, deep roar came from the dragon, then it made contact with Wolfani, Lazuli and Analci. The three men used their own black pillar as a combined counterattack, stalling the dragon for several moments in mid-air until it finally broke through, engulfing them in the flames, crimson energy, the air based attack, the meteor shower, and the power of Lysithea's Deep Sea Ice Dragon attack.

"Now's our chance! Quickly, form a circle!" Rinoa said as the men all vanished, looking badly beaten and damaged from their encounter, unable to complete their main initiative.

"Right!" The five Senshi called back, forming a circle with each other, grabbing their hands with Rinoa in the center just as the Moon Shadow Knight emerged to see if they needed his help.

"Lysithea Moon Power-"

"Leda Moon Power-"

"Amalthea Moon Power-"

"Elara Moon Power-"

"Callisto Moon Power-"

"MAKE UP!" The five Senshi shouted in unison, summoning all the strength and energy they could muster after the fight.

The Moon Shadow Knight was caught in the energy blast that erupted from the Senshi circle, as it at first was out of control, but then took the form once again of a rainbow light pillar. Yet once more, their pillar was slightly too weak to make a dent in the dome that surrounded their valley.

* * *

><p>Back in the mansion, one of the few buildings that was not engulfed in pure glacial ice, Rubiella had been watching the turn of evens through her own staff, the one given to her by the ghost of Queen Beryl.<p>

"They are trying again? Those fools-!" Rubiella sneered. As long as she was still alive and in one piece, there would be nothing that could take down the dome that her remaining three servants placed to draw the Mystical Jovian Crystal, and the Goddess of Death out. As she placed a hand over the top of her staff, strengthening the dome, something strange and unpredicted occurred to her.

She never felt such sudden, unpredictable pain. Her head felt like it was going to split apart, her body ached and screamed all over. She dropped her staff to the floor, falling to her knees as she let out a yell of bloody mary that filled the entire mansion.

What appeared to be regular lightning was coming from her hands, before it encircled her entire body, acting like a prison or an exorsism, when a beam of canary yellow light shot from her body, and she was glowing brilliantly in the darkness of the building she dwelled in.

"NOOOOOOOO!" She screamed, pulling her hands over her face as though to attempting to hide herself from some unknown terror locked away deep in her heart. The beam of light broke through the roof of the building, into the skies above then arched, not to the dome, but to the pillar of rainbow light towards the middle of the town itself, before landing in the form of a human being, a young woman with long hair that stood just outside the circle of Sailor Senshi.

The Moon Shadow Knight only had time to wonder who this canary yellow being was, seeing a pair of brilliant green eyes shining where her face should be, because other than that, it was impossible to make out any distinct features. She raised her right arm, pointed the palm of her hand at the group, then as he shouted in alarm, turned once more into a pillar of canary yellow light, which wove and circled around the rainbow pillar, blending in to complete the cycle.

It had been a strange moment, Callisto could swear she heard the Moon Shadow Knight, however, moments later there was another presence. Another, familiar presence as though an old friend from long ago just helped them out in a big way. Whoever this old friend had been, they gave the fighting Senshi enough power and lift to destroy the dome around the valley. The dome finally shattered into countless pieces that hovered for a few moments before vanishing. The pillar of rainbow light now completed with a canary yellow that circled around the girls and Rinoa went with the rest of the pillar to the heavens above, and when it appeared to be sucked up away from the earth by an invisible force, the glacier of ice melted away.

Audrey blinked, looking around for any sign of the Sailor Senshi, but they were gone. And so was the Moon Shadow Knight... She was left alone to wrap her mind around what she'd just witnessed, knowing that the very people she used to treat as her rivals and bully were the very young girls who saved her life now twice.

"Good luck, wherever you've gone to..." She mumbled, looking up at the now crystal clear, evening skies...

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Comments- <strong>

Yay! Another chapter done! This next chapter is going to be a huge one. It's going to reveal a lot about their past lives, and why Moon Shadow Knight has been caught up in this whole mess, even though he's not after anything in particular, he still plays a role. I did also tell you before that Audrey would be playing a rather different role right? Well, she's going to continue to be involved even if she doesn't have any remarkable powers like the main characters. But like most people, she evolves over time and through experience.

I'm not going to say just how she evolves, but this is the starting point for that change. And what's going on with the main baddie, Rubiella? Well, that will have to be answered at another time. I was just excited to be able to use the Sailor Teleport! My inner self was practically squeeing with joy, since that was one of my favorite powers about the original Sailor Senshi and their powers.

Well, I won't waste your time farhter on this, hoping everyone is enjoying the story as it's reaching a big turning point in the plot!

Also, if you are in a spot where there's a heat wave, I hope you are playing it safe and staying out of the heat! Nothing beats air conditioning on a 98 fahrenheit temperature day. We could even reach the triple digits by the late afternoon!


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

**Truth of the Yellow Spirit **

"My Lady!" Wolfani shouted in shock and alarm to see Rubiella's collapsed form as a canary yellow glow seemed to fade from around her.

"D-don't come near..." Rubiella's voice was a deep, dangerous growl. As though the first person to get near would be met with a deadly welcome. The three men had never seen her like this before, and all kept their distance at the warning she gave them. Finally, she reached with a trembling hand for her staff, then stood up as though she'd just won a battle of her own. "Why have you returned without achieving your goals?" She snarled snapping back to her old self.

"We were beaten back. The Senshi were too powerful for us, they even broke through our dome and freed everyone in that God-forsaken valley!" Analci was the one to speak when the other two were too scared to do so.

"Well, then you'll just have to go back there and rectify what happened, won't you?" Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "When they return, have a party waiting for them."

"Yes, my lady..." The three men bowed on one knee before Rubiella, as the finality of what they were attempting to achieve set in once more.

* * *

><p>"Be careful!" Shouted Rinoa over the roar of the planet Jupiter's violent and extreme atmosphere. "Keep flying straight ahead! We should break through any moment now!"<p>

They had been pelting forward what felt like ages, gripping each other's hands in their circle as tightly as they could, Rinoa floating in the center staying with them thanks to her own brand of magic that tethered her to them. Sailor Elara still had her VR Visor over her eyes, and she could confirm that so long as they didn't get into another thousand mile per hour jet-stream, they would not be flown off course, and would reach their intended destination. As Amalthea stated, there was nothing quite like being buffeted around like a kick ball with very little control over what was going on around you.

"We've gotta go up and around!" Elara shouted, and with a mighty heave, the girls flew upwards, over one of these said jet streams that would have not only sent them flying around Jupiter's orbit for eternity, but threaten to shred them to pieces as well. She'd never tried summoning her protective shield without her scythe, but Elara succeeded, and it looked like they were in a protective round, transparent red ball.

"Good one!" Called Leda from her spot next to her sister.

After about ten more minutes, they could finally see an end to the deadly atmosphere they were flying through. There was a final, loud explosion of wind and thunder, when their eyes were shocked with light, and seeing a vast, sprawling landscape.

"I thought Jupiter was a gas planet?" Asked Lysithea, who was staring in shock at the mountains in the far distance.

"Far from it. The dangerous atmosphere around it was placed there to protect the planet's secrets, and confuse man made technology, to keep unwanted intruders from finding out the truth before the Jovian Kingdom's revival." Rinoa explained half in a shouting voice, then realizing she was shouting, half in a normal vocal level. "We need to keep flying, we should be able to find something to the Northwest of this point."

"I can confirm that, there's what looks like the rubble of a massive structure over there!" Elara said, her VR Visor fast at work.

"Then let's go!" Amaltha said eagerly.

They flew through what looked like an ancient, out of control garden that threatened to take over the structures around it, then at last, they saw a platform on which they landed. It was made of some kind of white marble, almost Roman or Greek styled by the look of it.

"This atmosphere is safe to breathe..." Elara said in almost a quiet, but stunned voice as they let go of each others' hands, and Rinoa landed softly on the floor of the platform as the shield Elara put in place vanished into the ground like a veil being withdrawn. It was as though they'd stepped into the ruins of an ancient, massive Greek or Roman castle that sprawled on for miles all around.

Callisto could imagine what it looked like in its prime, because of the visions she'd been having as the day to their journey here approached. She never told anyone, because she didn't want them to think she was going crazy. She knew they were already worried about something in regards to her, because sometimes she would come in to the command center and see them talking with their heads put together, worried looks on their faces when they realized that she was there, they would give fake jumps of surprise and greet her with the biggest fake smiles she'd ever seen. With a sigh, Callisto took a few steps forward, and the others followed her.

At the other end of the wrecked castle, a man was stirring, his heap of white clothes flapping around him when he got to his feet. Where in the world was he? This was certainly not like anything he'd ever seen on Earth, not in the history books or on the internet.

Now that he'd woken up, it was eerie the silence that surrounded him. It was as though he'd stepped into a long forgotten graveyard. Then his heart jumped into his throat when he heard footsteps coming his way. So he found a half-knocked down pillar to hide behind, in case it was an enemy. But instead, it was the Sailor Senshi from the small town he'd been helping to protect. He still kept himself hidden, however. It wasn't that hard to do at least for him, his clothes being so white it blended into the pillar.

Unaware that they were being watched, the group was walking slowly forward through the ruins of the old castle. Callisto's feet were leading her, finding this path familiar. It was as though she knew this place like the back of her hand, even if it had been centuries since she last stepped foot here.

"Where are we going?" Asked Leda as Elara's VR Vision mask blipped a little.

Elara glanced sideways, knowing who was hidden behind one of the broken pillars, but wondering why he was there and why he hadn't shown himself. She chose to remain quiet on the matter, however, since he wasn't doing anything to hinder them, and they were already tense as it was after the unexpected battle just to get here.

One thing they noticed, was that everything around them was bathed in the same brown-orange-white light that the atmosphere was colored. No natural sun leaked through the miles-thick stormy clouds, and everything seemed to be left to its own devices. No sense of human life remained apart from the garden, and the ruined castle. They had come through the storm the Earthlings called "The Eye of Jupiter" as it moved across this portion of the planet, using it as a portal. And now they were here, they were walking, striding through what must have been a grand place for them to dwell at one point, wondering what was going to happen.

"I'll take it from here." Rinoa said once they passed the main threshold into the castle. She stepped in front of Callisto, who blinked at her.

There were scenes of a might battle that had taken place so many eons ago, that they couldn't put a date on it. Walls were torn down, where there should have been grand imperial staircases, were empty spots and piles of rubble. Pillars that held up grand upper floors were terribly weakened, unstable and generally dangerous to be around, but Rinoa knew where she was going. She led them safely through a particularly dangerous spot through what looked like what once must have been a grand ball room, a ruined crystal chandelier lay in a heap in the center of the room, and grand frescos of family portraits, and other Sailor Senshi and guardians were fading away. Windows were cracked and useless, and half the walls were crumbling away to the ravages of time.

"This was once the grand ball room of the main Jovian Castle." Rinoa stated, confirming their suspicions about this place. "And beyond here is a hallway that leads to the Jovian Prayer Room. Follow me."

"This place is amazing." Leda said, her golden hair reflecting the strange light that filtered into the castle from outside.

"It's hard to imagine we were ever in such a grand place." Amalthea agreed, following Rinoa to a once secret passage way beyond the elegant thrones at the other end of the ballroom.

"The Jovian Prayer Room..." Callisto muttered as they stepped in to the room that Rinoa led them to, looking upward to the ceiling that was higher than anything she'd ever seen before. Going straight up, it seemed to open into the skies, pierce through the atmosphere and show the many orbiting moons around the planet. A broken crystal pillar stood in the center of the room where Rinoa was now standing in front of, with the air of a rainbow crystal faded from its glory.

There was a flash of amber light from Rinoa's eyes as she chanted something in a language they had no memory of, then the broken pillar began to glow with osculating, vibrating rainbow light of every color of the spectrum, and even some they'd never seen before.

Then there were gasps that echoes in the room as the girls saw a woman appearing from the pillar, rising and falling to land on her feet. She was transparent, so she couldn't be alive. But her hair was dark chocolate brown, just like Callisto's, her eyes were exactly the same, yet it was her outfit that caught them by surprise. An emerald dress with pink trim on the v-neck line, and sleeve-less dress stood out vividly at first, as the floor length gown floated silently to the ground. At her arms were a semi-transparent, glittering pink hand glove, going up to her elbow with exposed fingers. On her right hand they saw were rings of gemstones they did not recognize, and a bracelet that reflected the light that filtered into the room. Her skin was pale, with an elated smile on her face. Around her neck was a golden necklace with a dark purple gemstone like that of the gemstones on each of the Sailor Senshi's forehead tiaras, and three pink stones going up the necklace on either side. A cloak was wrapped around her neck, held together with a pink and green gemstone the size of a chicken's egg, and earrings hung from her ears in the shape of the four sign of Jupiter. On her forehead was a tiara that also held the four sign up towards the top center, surrounded by gemstones of the Sailor Senshi. This tiara was much larger than theirs, almost like a headband or crown in fact, gleaming with the gold, and many colors of the stones as she stood slowly upright. Her brown hair was held up in a ponytail with the smaller pointed golden crown holding it in place, this crown also had gemstones of each of the Sailor Senshi on it, as well as others they didn't recognize.

"Thank you for bringing them all here, dear Rinoa." Hera's voice was excited, but calm. Sounding deep beyond her years- since she only appeared to be in her mid to late twenties.

"You... you're Queen Hera?" Elara was staring open mouthed at the woman who materialized before them.

"Yes indeed, Princess Elara. I am glad to see that you haven't changed so much since you were sent to this time period." Hera smiled. "You were always the more intelligent in our kingdom."

Elara's face flushed pink at this immediate recognition.

"I am very glad to see you all... I have been waiting thousands of years to finally see your faces once more. I know that you have been busy, learning to work together, training together and fighting the enemy which has been reborn. But I am so proud of you all." She was still smiling as she said all of this, looking at each of the girls in turn. "Summanus... why are you still in hiding? When it was I that brought you here along with the light of the Senshi?" She looked back behind them, and they- except for Elara- turned with a start.

The Moon Shadow Knight stepped out from the shadows of his hiding spot in the ball room, as Rinoa glared at him with impatience.

"Forgive me, Queen, but I do not know this name which you speak." He said truthfully with a bow. "I am merely the Moon Shadow Knight, woken to protect Sailor Callisto and her friends."

Hera blinked at his response, it was almost curt towards her.

"Rinoa, have their memories not been fully awakened?" She turned to the guardian cat, who shook her head. "Then I shall do the honors."

"Wait... memories? What do you mean?" Asked Lysithea in alarm.

"Let me show you..." The Queen said, raising her arms. There was a glow that came from their hands, and soon they felt as though they were being sucked through a vacuum, screaming as they went until...

They landed hard on the ground, and soon realized they were in a patch of grass. Standing up, they looked around. Not only were they in a patch of grass, but they were in the mountains they'd seen upon their arrival. A valley stretched out before them, with steep hills that stretched far down below. They barely had time to glance at the trees behind them when a flash of fire and light caused the ground to shake underneath their feet.

Looking down, they saw two figures battling each other, one was familiar, looking like a much more battle-hardened, alert Sailor Callisto than the one standing with the group in the open field above.

"What...?" Blinked Callisto, stepping forward to get a closer look. Then she nearly lost her footing, seeing the woman that her past self was fighting. It was the same woman that had been haunting her nightmares since she became a Sailor Senshi.

Soon, however, hey didn't need to ask questions, their questions were being answered for them.

In the battle, Princess Callysta was keeping both eyes on the target, Lady Sanura Zuberi. The two of them had been fighting it out for hours now, Callysta having gone on her own without her Guardian Senshi by her side. This was something that, as Rinoa had said, she had to do on her own if she was to prove herself to the King and Queen of their world. Prove herself to them that she was capable of the task that would be given to the one who reigned victorious after this fight.

"Callisto Dragon Fire- Strike!" She shouted, the fire dragon raging around her then at Sanura Zuberi, who leapt up into the air.

"Dancing Star Flames!" Sanura called out, swirling her two swords above her head, then at the dragon that was rearing is head at her. Sanura looked quite similar to Sailor Callisto, with the same dark brown hair, and emerald eyes. Her own hair was held up in a light red bow, while red earrings dangled from her ears as she spun around to dodge the attack from her cousin. Sanura's outfit, however, was entirely unlike Callysta's, black mini Senshi skirt, a black epaulet on her right shoulder tied with pink ribbon. Her leotard was pink, as were her elbow length gloves. She wore brown knee high boots that were the same color as her hair, and around her neck hanging from a gold chain was not just a necklace, but an insignia. A large gold triangle pendant four inches wide, and symbols on the front representing the Jovian Royal family gleamed in the firelight of their battle.

Emerald eyes narrowed in concentration, Sanura Zuberi's attack not only engulfed the dragon fire, but it threatened to kill Callysta, who leapt out of the way rather quickly to avoid being struck.

"What you see before you is a battle that took place long ago... You see, my dears, in the Jovian Country, one must earn his or her status. Becoming a Senshi for a young woman, it is not simply given to her. She must prove herself to the King and Queen through certain deeds or tasks. And for some... it is a much harder thing to accomplish..." Queen Hera explained. "This is how Princess Callysta became a Sailor Senshi."

The group in the present watched this as though they were watching a movie that had them on the edge of their seats. It was an amzing sight to watch the two young women down in the valley fight it out in the way that they did.

"You think you can defeat me? Me, who has worked much harder than thee at becoming what I am today!" Sanura screeched her taunt, to which Callysta ignored.

Sanura would never understand. Nothing had just been handed to her on a silver platter, everything she had, including her friends in the Royal Guard, she had worked for. Earned their trust and respect.

"You have power... you who are a direct descendant of our King and Queen... You have everything just waiting for you! But I won't let you get past me! I'll become the second Sailor Callisto in the line of duty! I will have the power that has been denied me all this time!" Sanura cried out, flicking her swords up once more. "Raging Snake Tail!" She shouted her attack, sending what looked like a dozen whips of fire from her swords at the Princess who stood in a stoic silence before her.

Princess Callysta, in her royal dress braced herself. Her gown was a purple halter-top style garb, with a belt that resembled the necklace Queen Hera wore around her waist. The halter-top portion was made of a row of pearls, while her sleeves were semi-transparent and pale pink. The floor length dress had dark purple lace on the bottom, with a transparent layer of fabric that came from the waist down. Around her neck was a chain of pearls that had three strands hanging down her back, and a violet amethyst stone hanging in the front set in a gold fastener. At her ears were the very same earrings that she wore in the present time, and the bow that held her hair back was instead of process red, bright pink. At her elbows were a line of pearls that gave the semi-transparent sleeves a poofy effect, letting the end of said garment hang in a wide bell shape. On her forehead was a smaller, glowing violet four sign of the planet Jupiter, instead of the peace symbol that normally was on the present Callisto's forehead.

They weren't sure how exactly it happened, but in the next several moments, Sanura found herself pinned against a rock wall, fear in her eyes for the very first time.

"Everything handed to me? Sanura, I've worked just as hard for this as you have... if not harder. And I know I won't let you have that status as Sailor Senshi. You would merely squander your powers for selfish gain, to rule over others or instill fear upon others with your abilities. We used to be such close friends, my cousin... I can't imagine why you would waste your strength like that." Calysta had her hand on Sanura's collar bone, holding her with one hand against the rock wall in that valley, she placed her right hand on Sanura's forehead.

"What happens now?" Asked Sanura with narrowed, dark green eyes.

Calysta smirked. Ever since Sanura returned from her trip to the Earth, she had been waiting for this, having to fight hard within herself to control her own instincts to kill the woman. She had the power over death, she could kill her cousin without lifting a finger. She was, after all, the favorite of Hades, her uncle. But just because she had all of this power, just because she was the favorite of Hades, did not mean she had to exersize that role until now. Not until Sanura had met her on that battlefield outside the castle of Jove, away from her Inner Court, Calysta could now freely act.

"I could kill you right now, right here... I have seen what you are capable of back on Earth and in the Moon Kingdom, Sanura..." Calysta's voice was deep, dangerous, most unlike her own as she was on the verge of loosing control at last.

Sanura's eyes went wide in terror at the threat, knowing it was not an idle one. Sanura too had seen Calysta's power before she left for Earth. There had been a village that was threatening to rise up against the Jovian Kingdom and the legions of Sailor Senshi, under the spells of one who was from Earth. However, the villagers had been killed off upon the King and Queens orders, sending their daughter to do the deed before the uprising destroyed all that they worked for. By the time Sanura had arrived on the scene, it was already done. Dead bodies littered the ground around Calysta, who was nothing more than a shadow at the time, surrounded by the stench of death that permiated the air so strongly. It was worse to Sanura, than witnessing a Youma on Earth gorging itself on the energy of human beings. And now, she was face to face with this darker side of Calysta, who said she could do the very same to her. Yet somehow, remarkably, she was still alive.

"What's wrong? Can't kill your own best friend?" Sanura snarled.

Calysta's hands did not tremble or shake, her eyes did not lower themselves to the ground. On the contrary, Calysta did not show any reaction to the taunt before there was a sudden flash. Not a flash of shadow and death, but of light and fire. It erupted from her hands, engulfing them both just as voices told them the Inner Court, Elara, Amalthea, Leda, Lysithea and one Senshi those watching did not recognize with a canary yellow Senshi outfit, and crimson red hair, were approaching the battle having realized Calysta was far from the castle.

The fire was quickly overcome, however, by the pillar of light between the two young women, and the light turned bright blue with a blast of sound like a thundercrack. Then, it engulfed the two, who found themselves hovering several feet in the air, unseen by Calysta's inner court.

"Princess Calysta, Lady Sanura... you have both shown courage and strength in this battle." Came King Zeus's voice. The voice of Calysta's father. "However, upon the reveal of your true intentions, Sanura, you will not receive the blessing of the Moons. Nor the blessing of the rulers of this world."

Sanura's eyes fell to the ground. She saw Calysta trying to reach out for her in sympathy. But just as the palm of her hand was outstretched, an even brighter, violet flash of glowing light kept the two from making physical contact. Sanura was expelled from the Pillar of Light, flying backwards, hard into the rock wall, sliding to the ground.

Within the Pillar of light, Calysta's body was flying higher and higher, until, floating on her back, there was a warmth within her chest that she couldn't explain. Her forehead symbol of the four sign of Jupiter glowed brightly, turning from green to violet. A crystal seemed to appear in front of her chest, the shape of a diamond, with not only the color of violet being seen on it, but the many colors of the Jovian rainbow gleaming as it rotated in front of her heart for several moments. Then, with a blinding flash, she vanished in a haze of violet and pale pink energy before finally reemerging as the Sailor Callisto the present day Senshi knew of.

"I remember now... from that moment on..." Sailor Lysithea's eyes were wide as she looked on at the scene before her, the five Sailor Senshi bowing before their new leader.

"She became our leader." Elara finished the statement.

"But who is the red head? Why isn't she in our group today?" Asked Amalthea, staring at the Senshi with red hair, in the canary yellow outfit.

In answer to this question, there was another flash of brilliant, blinding light. They appeared to be back on Earth, yet this was not the Earth that they now knew. The men and women were wearing robes and gowns like what they'd seen in movies or read in books. A tall woman with red hair seemed to be leading one of the groups of soldiers, with four men behind her, and beside her was what looked like a younger version of herself, in a yellow and silver set of armor and robes. Her own red hair was tied back to stay out of her face, her green eyes looking at the woman in the lead.

"Beryl, your army is ready to attack the castle!" The man nearest to Beryl bowed. He was not one of the Kings of Heaven, they were not under her spell yet. However, he and his friends were the predecessors.

"Excellent! Jessenine, you will lead your group down the left flank, we will attack the right and down the front!" Beryl shouted over the cheers of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. "In the name of the Dark Kingdom, and Queen Metalia, we will conquer those of the Earth Kingdom, and then the Silver Millennium will be ours!"

The only one who did not cheer was her daughter, Jessenine. She merely looked on, watching her mother with a quiet, observational expression on her face. She did not wish to take part in this war, this battle that her mother was forcing her into. She was sixteen, after all, and should have been able to decide for herself. But Beryl was protective of her daughter, refusing to let the young woman out of her sight, bent on grooming her to follow in her footsteps. Jessenine, however, was more and more falling from Beryl's grace, the more she saw of the cruelty and jealousy Beryl held, the contempt for the Earth Kingdom, Jessenine was not excited when Beryl decided to stage her first attack on the Rulers of the Earth, during one of the more active stages of the sun's life, which gave them more power to possibly overthrow the society that had been in place for countless generations.

Jessenine, at this moment, however, gave the orders, her voice rang clear over the raging masses, and her own soldiers cheered as well when the call for attack finally came.

However, the moment the approaching army reached the front gates, something repelled them. It was a brilliant flash of light from the castle itself, that reached upwards to the heavens, and a pillar of light came down from the moon to meet with the one from the Earth. This pillar expanded until it reached the army, engulfing it entirely in the purifying brilliance from the Silver Millennium and the Royal Family of the Earth Kingdom. Many of the soldiers seemed to awaken from a deep sleep, or a dark nightmare, realizing what they'd been about to do.

A voice rang out from the castle, causing many to look upward as though entranced.

"Beryl, you and your Knights have committed a terrible crime against human kind. Unless you recant of your sins, you will be henceforth banished to the Hinterlands. Those you have enslaved or ensnared will be set free... They will not have known what you nearly caused them to commit." The voice was that of the Queen of the Earth, mother of Prince Endymion.

Jessenine, however, heard something entirely different. It was a voice that spoke to each indivual person with their own message, and hers surprised her above all else.

"Jessenine, you have shown that your heart does not truly follow that of your mother's." The voice was much calmer, kinder than it was to Beryl. "Should you accept it, you have been given a second chance. A chance to proove your loyalty does not reside in the Dark Kingdom."

"I accept!" Jessenine shouted at once, finding her own voice as the Queen of the Earth spoke to her from somewhere in the center of the castle.

Beryl heard her daughter's voice ring out loud and clear, staring over, seeing Jessenine engulfed in a bright canary yellow light before vanishing entirely.

"Where has she been sent to!?" Demanded Beryl. "Where did you take my daughter?"

"Somewhere where your spells, and enchantments can no longer effect her or control her. You may be her mother, Beryl, but she no longer sees herself as your daughter. She is being given a second chance. Something which you may have at a later time, should you desire to earth it." The Queen's voice was sounding self-justified in her actions, and there was a finality in the tone of which she spoke that told Beryl that she would most likely never see Jessenine again. At least, not until she took over the Earth Kingdom, and the Silver Millennium.

Beryl and those who willingly followed her vanished in a brilliant light just as bright as the one that took her daughter away from her.

Jessenine reappeared in a throne room, her armor gone, her canary yellow robes swirling around her as she collapsed. Having traveled across the solar system in the blink of an eye, she had a severe headache, and felt incredibly shaky.

"Jessenine." Came a voice, much different than one she'd ever heard before. She looked up to see the Queen Hera, and her husband, King Zeus of the planet Jupiter standing before her, looking down on her as she scrambled to her feet, then knealed in front of them to show respect. "The Queen of the Earth has told us of your desires to stand between your mother and her goals, even though before you did not possess the courage to do so. And upon looking in your heart, we have seen your potential. You have talents, gifts that could be honed, used for good and aiding others rather than killing and ruling over them. Should you choose to accept our offer, your life will henceforth be changed forever." Zeus said, holding out his right hand with a smile. "However, we will not force this on you."

There was a pause as she thought about this. Jessenine could become a Sailor Senshi? She could be honored far beyond anything she could have expected, being the offspring of one who was threatening to overthrow everything they had ever known. It was her chance to find herself. Her true self.

"I accept. I do not think my mother will give up just because she is exiled." She bowed her head before the pair.

Hera smiled at the willingness Jessenine showed to preserve all that they knew that was good and right.

"Then your training will begin. We are glad that you agree, not only to this, but to the fact that Beryl will not give up so easily. Now that she has lost well over half of her army, and her daughter, she will be more dangerous than before when she resurfaces. Until then..." Hera raised her elegant arm, the door off to the right of the thrones opened, and five Sailor Senshi walked out, the Senshi in the middle being Sailor Callisto, who was flanked on her right by Sailor Elara, on her left by Sailor Amalthea, and on Amalthea's left was Sailor Leda while on Elara's left was Sailor Lysithea. The group approached Jessenine, looking on skeptically. "They will be your teachers, and your protectors should things become too dangerous while you are learning about yourself. If you should pass certain... tests... you will one day be blessed with the power of that of a Sailor Senshi as well."

"Yes! Now I know... Eventually she became Sailor Thebes, the last member of our group!" Said the present day Elara.

"It took her about ten years to gain the experience and trust needed to become one, though." Lysithea blinked.

"Then... Wasn't there a celebration to welcome the new Sailor Senshi? She wasn't the only one... but the King and Queen always treated each new group of Senshi to a grand ball." Leda recalled.

Indeed, with another flash and whoosh of wind, they were within the ballroom once more, only it was not as they had seen it in the present day. Waltz music played in the huge, beautiful room as men and women everywhere danced together- sometimes there could be seen couples of the same gender dancing with just as much grandeur as those of the opposite sex. Calysta and her court were dressed in their finest gowns, wearng masks just like those around them. It was apparently a Masquerade, at Jessenine's suggestion.

Judging by the light outside, it was nighttime. The skies that were so often cloudy and stormy opened up to reveal all of the moons that orbited Jupiter, like many pale orbs hanging in the indigo blue skies. Lights had been lit around the castle, revealing the garden at its best. Even Calysta's elder brother, Hercules appeared at the start of the Masquerade, dressed in a mask. Now however, he was dancing with his wife, with many people watch them as a perfect couple in a circle around the pair.

"You go on ahead," Calysta said to her friends, who all looked like they longed nothing more than to find someone to dance with as well. "No really-" She added when they looked back at her. "-I'm not one for dancing as much. I think I'm just gonna stroll in the garden."

And with that, the five girls seemed to melt into the crowd of gathered dancers.

Calysta smiled to herself, thinking that while dancing was fun, it still seemed pointless to her. So, since her brother was preoccupied, she took to the outside of the castle as she said she would. Wandering the well known halls in silence as music echoed around her, like she was still right there in the ball room. Humming along to her favorite tune that was now being played, she skipped down the gleaming crystal steps which was so clear it reflected not only her, but the garden around her, and the heavens above with the many moons that shone down on them that particular.

Now among the flowers, she felt more like herself, singing to her favorite song at the time, quietly, she found her favorite water fountain towards the center, hopping to the edge and walking along that fine line without any problems with balance.

He'd seen the Princess from afar long ago, watching her today after working so hard to reach a status where he could be part of the Royal Affairs, trusted to get near the Princess, he found he had the perfect opportunity to approach Calysta at last. Summanus, tall, blond with brilliant blue eyes, wore his Knight's uniform for the occasion. Yet now, the one usually so confident in himself found he was suddenly, unexplainably caught on the spot. Feeling shy, and fearful, he hung back out of sight as the Princess sang apparently to herself.

"What are you doing out here all on your own, Summanus?" Asked Kunzite from behind.

Summanus started, turning to see the Four Kings of Heaven standing there. They were on Jupiter as representatives of the Earth Kingdom since the Prince nor Princess couldn't make it. His master was Kunzite, teaching him in his ways so that he would someday be a royal guardian just as they were.

"Erm..." He looked back at Calysta.

"Ahh..." Muttered Kunzite while Jedeite sniggered, earning a hard elbow to the chest from Zoicite.

"Why don't you just go on and make a move? It's not like there's any sacred laws between the Jovians and Earthlings." Jedeit may be more relaxed than the other three, but he knew the rule book from back to front for the entire Silver Millennium.

"I know..." Mumbled Summanus, his face brilliant red now. He turned his back on the four Kings. His legs refused to move. Jedeit seemed to sense this, for suddenly he moved forward, pushing Summanus hard in the back, so that he tumbled out from his hiding spot.

This resulted in Summanus landing unceremoniously on the hard stone, startling the Princess and nearly causing her to fall into the water of the fountain she'd been playing around. He shot a nasty glare back at Jedeit who remained unseen by the Princess, grinning evilly and shamelessly at him before beging dragged away by Kunzite and Zoicite, followed by Nephrite who suggested to give them some time alone out of respect at the withering look the young ward gave them.

"Who are you?" Asked Calysta, not seeing who Summanus was glaring at.

"Oh... I'm Summanus... of Earth. A ward of King Kunzite." He bowed to her.

"A servant from Earth?" Calysta seemed rather uninterested now.

"I'm no servant!" Summanus had stupidly forgotten that 'ward' meant different things on this world than on Earth. "I am his student! His best!"

"Hmm..." This did little to impress the Princess. She seemed to him to be merely humoring a Ward now.

And she certainly was. She was more than used to, and more than a little annoyed at yet another man coming to see her to try and court her. He would probably be just like all the other suitors. So she devised another plan.

"If you wish to get to know me, _ward _then you will have to earn that privelage." She stated firmly, showing a hint of her mother's power that she'd inherited when adressing people. "I will not be as easy as the women of Earth, or of the Moon Kingdom."

"I understand, Princess." And Summanus really did. He'd heard of the laws of this world, and studied them hard before arriving. He knew she didn't trust easily, from his observations of her.

At that precise moment, there was a loud BANG like a cannon energy blast. It sent Calysta flying from her perch off the water fountain, forward. The resulting trembling of the ground nearly caused Summanus to fall as well, but he was a little quicker on his feet. Steadying himself, he caught the Princess before she could hit the hard cement of the pavement. It was an awkward moment for the two of him, she having just told him to keep his distance right before an unexpected attack on the grounds.

The resulting sonic wave from the blast revealed the Four Kings of Heaven, off in the distance as well.

Instinct told Summanus he had to act quickly, putting himself between Calysta and this sonic blast as it hurtled toward them at breakneck speed, withdrawing his sword.

Barely having time to look up to see what was going on, Calysta had to grab hold of the man from behind to keep herself from flying away as the sonic blast threatened to overcome them. Yet holding his sword as though blocking an attack from the unseen assailant stalled the sonic attack. With the wind howling around them so violently even the water in the fountain was distorted, surrounded by flying flower petals and a growing collection of rubble from the pavement at their feet, Summanus held his ground. The sonic attack stopped in its tracks just as Calysta's back felt the edge of the fountain. Then, with an all mighty yell, he snapped his arms downward, sending the attack right back in the direction that it came.

This certainly impressed Calysta against her will. Blinking at how Summanus was breathing like he'd just ran a marathon, even sweat beading down the sides of his face from the effort, she was caught momentarily off guard.

"These guys mean business, whoever they are." He muttered, his blue eyes narrowing as an explosion ripped a hole in the garden off in the distance. His voice brought her back to reality with an unpleasant bump.

Whoever these people were, they did not go right for the castle. Instead, Calysta realized Summanus was right, they went for the garden. Where she had been alone momentarily until Summanus appeared before her. There was only one thing for it. Stepping forward from behind the Ward, she withdrew from the sash of her gown her henshin rod. She could feel his eyes on her as she raised it up above her head.

"Callisto Moon Power... MAKE UP!"

Emerging from the light in a matter of seconds, Sailor Callisto's hands grasped her scepter. The very same scepter that the present day Sailor Callisto just barely received.

"Scepter of the Jovian Moons, reveal to us the true enemy!" Shouted Sailor Callisto, raising the scepter high as it gleamed with brilliant rainbow light. "Sattelite Radience Reflection!" She cried out.

There was the sound of rushing wind, as though through a suction vacuum, the light danced around the Four Kings of Heaven, around the gardens that surrounded them, to a point that was the source of the attempted ambush on their lives. With a bang like thunder, a trio of men appeared, disheveled, looking momentarily dumbstruck. They were all wearing either black or red, the centermost of the trio with shoulderlength black hair, the man on his right wearing a red suit of armor with short black hair, and the man on the left with dark blue hair, wearing black and red armor.

"I don't know how you three managed to get in here without our security system going off until now but-" Callisto began with narrowed eyes.

"They are servants of the rebel, Beryl." Summanus said, cutting her off. "No doubt they've learned some new dark magic from her in the last ten years."

"Indeed!" The middle man was clearly the leader. Without farther explanation, the three men vanished. It took a moment for those present to figure out where they went off to, only to realize they were surrounded on all sides.

"What does the rebellion on Earth have to do with Jupiter?" Asked Callisto.

"Your sister is a guardian of the Moon Princess, and your brother is a hero of many legends on Earth. Jupiter has EVERYTHING to do with the war!" Shouted the red haired man. "And you have everything to do what is happening now."

It was a triple attack, and everything happened so quickly they weren't sure how it happened. Fire whipped around them, yet it seemed to have little effect on the attackers. The Four Kings of Heaven raced to help Summanus fight back, yet by the time they had reached the scene, Summanus was badly injured around the mid section. He didn't say anything as his master, Kunzite approached him. His eyes were blurry, and his mind was fading fast as he fell into darkness as he heard other voices around him, inquiring what had just happened. What was going on, and where was the Princess. He tried to answer as he flitted back and forth from conciousness, but no words actually came out. The voices were confused in his mind, taking a long time to reach the point in his brain where they were actually understood. By the time he got what was going on, he was in the medical ward of the castle, his Master and his fellows surrounding him.

"I'm amazed he's still alive." Hercules was saying. "He should've sent for me!"

"We told you, there was no time!" Snapped an irate Kunzite.

The memories of what had happened as he made the first acquaintence with the Princess suddenly flooded Summanus' mind, and he sat up so abruptly, he startled those around him.

"No, Summanus!" Said one of Calysta's inner court, the princess with the pony tail. "You still need to heal-!"

"No time." Muttered Summanus, standing up and ripping out the I.V.s from his arms, ignoring the now 'flat-lining' heart monitor machine. "We've got to find the Princess...It's all my fault. I didn't act quick enough."

"No," Kunzite said so firmly that the young Ward fell silent. "The King and Queen have already sent Senshi to the source of this problem. We can't risk the one who witnessed what happened gettng-"

This time Summanus wouldn't back down. Normally he would respect his Master's decision on certain matters, yet this time he was not going to stop.

"I'm sorry, but I disagree. I'm going after them." Summanus said. "I may be your ward, but I am also a full grown man capable of making my own descisions, Master."

Kunzite looked at the man, who he could easily overcome if he decided it wasn't for his best interest to go. But before he could argue his point farther, the door opened to the hospital ward opened, and the Queen of Jupiter emerged, looking grave, followed by her husband.

"I think it would be a good idea, Master Kunzite, if Summanus were to go after our daughter." Hera stated. And Kunzite knew that if Hera and Zeus wanted something done, there was no point in arguing with them. Apart from Queen Serenity, they were among the most powerful beings in the Silver Millennium. And it would not do well to get on their bad side while their daughter, and the next in line to inherrit the throne was kidnapped by a bunch of rebels, held prisoner at some unknown destination.

"Ellisa, you should accompany Summanus. You are second in command in your group, and your tracking skills are legendary." Zeus stated to the girl with the pony tail who'd first tried to hold Summanus back. She bowed.

Standing outside a massive mountain even larger than Mons Olympus, the pair stared ahead of them hours later. Sailor Elara did not have her scythe at the time because it would have been too encumbersome on their journey. Instead, across her face over her eyes was a semi-transparent ER Visor set of goggles that she would often use, depending on the situation at hand.

"Yes. This is where the Princess is being kept." She stated. "But we have to be cautious, the entrance is well guarded."

"I can't see anything there." He replied, his voice muffled and changed through his white mask.

"That's because of the spell surrounding the place. The guards do not appear until we are right up to the entrance. That's when they catch people by surprise, and throw them back or kill them if the intruders persist." At this point she raised her right hand as her red scythe materialized before her. "Let's go."

And true enough, as Elara had warned, out from the ground rose two gigantic guards made out of stone, crystal and something else that Summanus could not put his fingers on as he ducked a deadly blow. He unsheathed his own sword while crouching, then swung the blade at the monster while Elara blocked her own attacker's blow with her scythe.

When she had the chance moments later after ducking and dodging three more attacks from the trollish guards, she brought the bottom of her scythe to the ground.

"Duck!" She called to Summanus, who at the last second flattened himself on the ground.

Callisto's eyes went wide as she recalled the moment that changed her opinion of the man forever. He had come for her, when she had been about to be used in a ritual sacrifice before the start of a war by a group of rebels.

"Ever since he rescued me that time, with the help of Sailor Elara, he's been at my side..." She realized.

"And I became the second in command of this group in case anything ever happened to our beloved leader." Elara recalled.

"Which, thankfully, never happened during the Silver Millennium." Came Hera's voice as the past Sailor Elara and Summanus rescued Calysta. "Soon, you all became of age according to our customs, and your group joined the guard surrounding planet Jupiter, being the main leaders that all the Senshi factions reported to, and in turn, reporting to myself and King Zeus. You prevented one potentially devastating disaster after another during the great Millennial War, keeping everyone safe from the initial side effects... but one by one, Queen Beryl's army caused the destruction of the very shield that protected us. The sixty four Senshi, soon dwindled to but a handful. And the King and I could feel the approach of death's hand as the tradgedes kept mounting. You, Callysta, were summoned away so many times for the destruction of many of our grandest cities, and much of our best people who could have made a stand were now dead."

"Which was necessary for Queen Serenity's plan to be able to move forward... For to be able to be reborn, everyone must die, and everything must be destroyed utterly." Lysithea said. "I know I wasn't a fan of this grand plan, due to the toll it was having on our leader... but there was only one task left finally. We just had to wait for the final cataclysm..."

"And the arrival of the Goddess of Destruction to appear." Nodded Leda, as they watched the events unfold. "As Sailor Saturn appeared, Sailor Callisto used the last of her greatest power over the lives of everyone in the kingdoms."

Callisto remembered that moment. Summanus tried to stop her, but there was nothing for it. Soon, only they and the handful of Senshi remained. Even Queen Hera and King Zeus were lying as though asleep in their thrones on Jupiter. Before a white light seemed to engulf them...

"From that point on, my dears, I kept watch over you. I knew at the time, Summanus had wished to marry Callysta, but he never got the opportunity. The two of you died in each other's arms in the end, as fate delt it's final hand for our people." Hera said sadly as the scenes vanished, and the transparent image of Hera reappeared. She looked at her daugher, and her friends, as well as Eric, whose eyes were wide as memories were flodding back. "I was ever so glad when fate interviened again, bringing all of you together. And now, in order to complete your team, you must free Sailor Thebes from the curse her own mother has placed upon her. Only when you are a team of six, will the Jovian Sailor Crystal appear. She is the one that unites you all, and makes you a whole group."

"You know... I felt like there was another spirit helping us when we were trying to get here..." Elara recalled. "A yellow spirit." She said as the others looked at her. "I could see it through my Visor. But I have no idea where it came from."

"What if it was her subconscious?" Leda suggested. "You know, reaching out when she sensed we were in real danger when we were trying to leave for Jupiter?"

"That would make sense." Nodded Elara upon reflection of everything they learned.

"Then that means there's still a chance of some good deep inside." Callisto's face was hopeful when she looked at her mother, who smiled.

"Good can never truly be conquered. Even when evil feels it has triumphed, and cloaked an entire society in darkness. There is always a sliver of good that can be found, which turns to hope. And in turn, endurance, and strength." Hera commented. "Only when one succumbs to dispair, when one believes all hope is lost will your enemies find their victory." She looked over at Eric, though she didn't say anything verbally. Instead there seemed to be some kind of telepathic communication between the two. His eyes went wide, he blinked, then stumbled backwards as though overwhelmed as he grabbed his head.

"Mother...?" Callisto tilted her head slightly to the left.

"It is time you returned to the Earth, my dear ones." Hera said heavily. "Rinoa, look after them as you always have."

"Yes." Nodded Rinoa.

"But... It feels like we just got here!" Amalthea's protest rang throughout the ancent prayer room.

"Your enemies have cut our time short. One of your own in your class is in terrible danger now as well-" Hera's voice became strange, almost dark and foreboding. In their mind's eye, they saw a young, blond haired girl running down an alley as ice engulfed the town and its people.

"Audrey? What does she have to do with this?" Blinked Callisto in dislike.

"She was touched by your powers as you left the Earth. It has spared her from the initial attack while you have been away, but I do not know how long it will last. Now GO. Fight, and protect those whom you love, and care for. Fight to protect your world, and to keep this evil from spreading." Hera's eyes glowed brightly as a light emminated from her body then engulfed everyone around her, including Eric and Rinoa.

"Mom!" Shouted Callisto, her voice echoing as they were lifted off the ground by some unseen force.

"I love you darling, I always have. I always will." Was Hera's last words to her as the Queen faded from sight, then the planet and it's moons seemed to be sucked away from them. Callisto was unaware that each of those present received a personal message from Hera as well.

They were headed back home.

* * *

><p>Panting as she sprinted down the alley that cut across town, she glanced back to see ice engulfing everything it touched. People, plants, animals, entire buildings, even garbage bins were encased within the moments between blinks of the eye. Audrey had no idea what was happening. She'd seen Christina and her friends transforming into the heroines of their town, then vanish from sight after a strange battle of energy and power that resonated throughout her body.<p>

"Over here!" A voice shouted.

It was an officer, one of the few who managed to not get frozen just yet. Jonathan had seen the girl running for her life from a terrible flash of light that cut the power from the entire town.

"I'm glad to find someone not frozen yet." Gasped Audrey, holding a stitch on her side.

"You all right, miss?" Jonathan asked.

"Eyah... Just... Sprinting is not my thing." She glanced around, hearing a low rumbling that seemed to echo around them like an earthquake. Yet there seemed to be no source.

"C'mon!" Jonathan shouted, grabbing the sixteen year old by the wrist and pulling her along down yet another dirty, dusty old alley.

"My parents would kill me if they knew I'd been down here." Audrey looked around, recognizing this spot as where all the drug and gang groups frequented.

"I think they'd forgive you this time." The officer stated before stopping in his tracks. This alley was a dead end. He watched as ice engulfed the cement of the house it went up against, then the wooden fence on either side. Adriana's shriek caused him to turn around with a snap, seen the ice encoraching upon the alley from the very direction they had come from.

The two were trapped.

They could hear a laughter that came from above, looked up and saw three men in a triangle floating in the sky.

"Why are you doing this?!" Demanded Jonathan at the top of his voice, pulling out his gun. He wasn't sure it was going to do any good, but it was better than doing nothing. They might very well be the last people not frozen into statues in this town.

There was no response as the leader of the group gave an unseen smirk, and flexed his hands. The ice was inching closer and closer to the last two people still living in this forsaken town.

Jonathan pulled the teenager behind him when the ice nearly touched her feet. It was at that moment that there was a rushing noise, a flash of rainbow light, and a loud explosion that shook everything around them. The ice stopped encroaching on them. It stopped moving altogether as six figures emerged from the light, including a cat standing next to the girl in purple knee-high boots.

Sailor Elara brought forth her scythe right away.

"Shield of Memories!" She shouted, directing the blade of the weapon at the two civilians, who flinched as though worried about being struck.

Instead, the transparent dome appeared around them. They could see it was colored red, but they could still see through it quite plainly.

"That should keep you safe." Sailor Elara said.

"Rinoa and I will stand guard here with these two in case things get out of hand," The MoonShadow Knight- now masked once more- stated, and Rinoa agreed that this was the best plan.

"Sailors-" Audrey said timidly, stepping out from behind the officer.

"Just stay put," Callisto looked back at Audrey. "And enjoy the show."

Jonathan's jaw dropped. It was her. After all this time of following her across the state, and around this town on his bosses orders whenever she appeared. Now she and her super-powered friends appeared before them to save their lives. Looking the same, yet completely different from before. They seemed stronger, more confident than some random group of vigilante kids as they had been recently.

Audrey nodded, for once she wasn't going to give her any grief about anything. This wasn't the first time the two had met, after all.

"I think if we attack together, our powers can melt this ice and bring down whoever's causing this." Lysithea's mind was already working, looking over at Sailor Callisto. Together, fire and water should do the trick against this cursed ice power.

"Right." Nodded Callisto, and the two stepped forward, a blue aura appearing around Sailor Lysithea's body, a violet aura appearing around Sailor Callisto's.

Raising their right hands, Lysithea was the first to summon her spell.

"Lysithea... Deep Sea... Ice..."

Then it was Sailor Callisto who chanted her own attack.

"Callisto Dragon Fire..."

"Dragon-!" Lysithea's spell was complete as a dragon of ice and water formed around her with a roar that shook everything from the frozen windows of the surrounding houses in the alley, to the ground beneath their feet.

"Strike!" Callisto shouted, fire raging around her like a tornado in a storm. Audrey let out a yell of surprise as Jonathan unnecessarily pulled her back from the edge of the shield after feeling the intense heat from the flames.

The two dragons formed into one as it circled around them. While they felt the heat and chill at the same time, thanks to Elara's shield, the two civilians caught in the fray were not affected as the beast rose above the town, into the air then circled around at lightning speed, causing the ice to thaw the moment it made contact with the dragon.

"No!" Woflani shouted as the trio was forced away from the town by the sheer power of the combined attack of the Sailor Senshi.

"We need to find the source of these attacks," Rinoa stated.

"Did that cat just talk?" Blinked Jonathan in shock.

"I'm on it!" Elara stepped forward at once, ignoring the officer's confusion and her VR Visor appeared over her eyes.

There were several tense moments as the Visor beeped and clicked like a computer over her eyes.

"Not in the town or the valley..." She muttered.

"Why don't we save you the trouble, Senshi."

The voice sounded like it was coming through a radio. Moments before the three men appeared, Elara's visor beeped.

"In front of us!" She shouted.

Three figures appeared in front of them.

"Let us introduce ourselves, Sailor Senshi." Wolfani stepped forward. "We are the servants of the one who will steal your powers, and use it to rule over this world. I am Wolfani,"

"Call me Analci," Bowed the man to Wolfani's right.

"And I am Lazuli." Smirked the man on Wolfani's left.

"We are here not only to fulfill our mistresses orders, but to seek revenge on the one who took our partner from us." Wolfani raised his right hand at the Sailor Senshi. "You... Have no idea what you have done, stealing her."

"Your partner?" Amalthea blinked with a blank look on her face.

"Wait..." Elara realized almost at once who they were talking about.

"That's right." Wolfani's evil smirk put the Senshi on edge when he saw the one in red understood exactly who he was talking about. "And since you took away something precious from us, I will take what is precious to you!"

The three men combined their power, as a black and red aura surrounded them. They all raised their right hands, palms directed at the Senshi, lightning sparking, crackling all around their bodies.

The MoonShadow Knight barely had a moment to think as Rinoa shouted out, running in front of the Sailor Senshi, her amber eyes glowing as she used her own power to protect the young warriors.

"Rinoa!" Callisto's eyes were wide in alarm as the light faded where a cat once stood... In it's place was a human figure, both hands raised to summon the powerful barrier that just saved their lives...

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><p><strong>Author's Comments- <strong>

Dundundunnn... I am back. I've been working on this chapter for a while, actually. But There's so much that happens that I was wanting to make sure I had everything 'just right'. Including that cliffhanger. Yes, I know. A cliffhanger. I went there.

I figured with all the information, then this fresh battle as soon as they return, that the cliffhanger would be in order. Don't worry though, I'm getting to one of my favorite parts in the story right now. My muse has struck, and I have the music and time to work on this right now! I've had this story in my head for years, so it's been pretty fun for me to finally get to writing this out. Their past lives, the reasons behind their titles and posistions in the groups, and Rubiella's real importance apart from being the main 'enemy' of this 'act' or 'season' or whatever you want to call it.

Of course, their quest won't be quite so easy. Nearly everything in life is easier said than done, and we all know Beryl is one evil, stubborn broad. In the manga and the anime (and hopefully the new anime too!)

I hope you guys are enjoying this story, I'm so sorry I have a hard time being punctual. I swear I'm not like those guys running the production of the new Sailor Moon anime 'due' in July. I just suck at punctuality is all ^^;

As you may have guessed, the Senshi girl's past lives' names are revealed in here. Some of them are kind of obvious, some are not, so I'll just do a run down here really quick, starting with their Senshi name, current civilian name followed by Past Life name-

Callisto-Christina-Calysta

Elara-Hillary-Ellisa

Amalthea-Annie-Andreanna

Leda-Elizabeth-Laetita

Lysithea- Catherine-Liboria

Thebes- Jessica- Jessenine

Hope this helps clear some confusion with their names. Obviously they only use their current civilian names and Senshi names... eh... even to me it can sometimes get confusing. So I wrote it down to keep track :P I suggest that with anyone who has a character or characters with multiple names. Writing it down helps. I have a whole moleskine notebook of my Senshi's names, powers, attacks, their past, etc. that I use and frequently go back to when I am writing so that I don't forget crucial facts or information about a certain character.

On to the next chapter!


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